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";s:7:"attribs";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:7:"version";s:3:"2.0";}}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";s:5:"child";a:1:{s:0:"";a:1:{s:7:"channel";a:1:{i:0;a:6:{s:4:"data";s:61:"
	
	
	
	




















































";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:1:{s:0:"";a:5:{s:5:"title";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:16:"WordPress Planet";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:28:"http://planet.wordpress.org/";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:8:"language";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:2:"en";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:47:"WordPress Planet - http://planet.wordpress.org/";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:"item";a:50:{i:0;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:70:"WPTavern: Nulis: A Free Minimalist WordPress Theme with a Unique Twist";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=36133";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:"http://wptavern.com/nulis-a-free-minimalist-wordpress-theme-with-a-unique-twist";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:3314:"<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/nulis" title="Nulis" target="_blank">Nulis</a> is one of the most unique designs to land in the WordPress Themes Directory this year. At first glance, you might think the theme is rather plain. The screenshot on the theme&#8217;s description page doesn&#8217;t indicate anything interesting going on under the hood, but something about it intrigued me enough to put it up on a test site.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Nulis-screenshot.png" rel="prettyphoto[36133]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Nulis-screenshot.png?resize=880%2C660" alt="Nulis-screenshot" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-36136" /></a></p>
<p>Nulis includes several options built into the native customizer for adding your own header image, background, a custom logo, the ability to change the header text color, and more. Once customized, the theme looks quite a bit less plain than its screenshot.</p>
<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nullis-customized.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[36133]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nullis-customized.jpg?resize=1025%2C862" alt="nullis-customized" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-36142" /></a></p>
<p>The icon on the top right spins when clicked and fades in a search bar. The icon at the top left of the theme also spins and opens a hidden panel with your logo, bio, navigation menu, social links, and any custom widgets you wish to add. Everything included in the hidden panel can be added via the customizer.</p>
<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nulis-hidden-panel.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[36133]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nulis-hidden-panel.jpg?resize=1025%2C862" alt="nulis-hidden-panel" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-36147" /></a></p>
<p>Nulis is the Javanese word for &#8216;writing,&#8217; and the theme does an excellent job of highlighting your content, especially if you are fond of post formats. Each post format has its own unique styling to set it apart from the others. The one-column theme surrounds your content with ample white space and showcases large, full-width featured images. The theme is also responsive and looks fantastic on mobile devices.</p>
<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nulis-responsive.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[36133]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nulis-responsive.jpg?resize=1025%2C862" alt="nulis-responsive" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-36144" /></a></p>
<p>Check out the <a href="http://nulis.esy.es/" target="_blank">live demo</a> to see the theme in action, and make sure to try the interactive icons at the top while you&#8217;re there. It&#8217;s a fun addition for toggling the hidden panel and search box.</p>
<p>Nulis was created by web developer <a href="http://dennykuswantoro.com/" target="_blank">Denny Kuswantoro</a>. It&#8217;s his first submission to the themes directory and his account will be one to watch in the future. You can <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/nulis" target="_blank">download</a> Nulis from WordPress.org or install it on your site via the admin themes browser.</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, 20 Dec 2014 00:27:42 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:1;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: phpBB.com Compromised, Users Should Change Their Passwords";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=36093";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:"http://wptavern.com/phpbb-com-compromised-users-should-change-their-passwords";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:2007:"<p><a title="http://phpbb.com/" href="http://phpbb.com/">phpBB.com,</a> which hosts the popular open source forum software phpBB, has been compromised. On Dec. 14th, members of the development team discovered several web servers that power the website were compromised and immediately suspended operations. Users are not at risk as the phpBB software is not affected.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/phpBBHomePage.png" rel="prettyphoto[36093]"><img class="size-full wp-image-36121" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/phpBBHomePage.png?resize=874%2C403" alt="phpBBHomePage" /></a>phpBB HomePage
<p>According to an <a title="http://phpbb.com/" href="http://phpbb.com/">ongoing investigation</a>, initial entry was gained through a staff member&#8217;s account. The attackers obtained access to the phpBB.com and area51 databases, meaning that user information, including hashed salted passwords, was also compromised. Area51 is a phpBB development website maintained by the phpBB team.</p>
<p>Additionally, all logins on area51 between Dec. 12th and Dec. 15th were logged in plaintext. Despite the passwords being hashed, users are encouraged to change their passwords, especially if you use the same password on other sites.</p>
<p>When it comes to using a forum in WordPress, <a title="https://bbpress.org/" href="https://bbpress.org/">bbPress</a> is usually the go-to plugin because of its tight integration. However, there are a few plugins that bridge the phpBB forum software with WordPress. <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-united/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-united/">WP-United</a> is one such plugin and has nearly 40k downloads. Its popularity indicates several site owners connect WordPress to phpBB instead of bbPress.</p>
<p>The team is in the process of restoring its website. Once the servers are back online, they will provide full details, including the steps they&#8217;ve taken since the compromise.</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:"Fri, 19 Dec 2014 23:01:46 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:2;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:106:"WPTavern: Postmatic Offers Free Concierge Service for Installation of Its New Comments Subscription Plugin";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=36097";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:116:"http://wptavern.com/postmatic-offers-free-concierge-service-for-installation-of-its-new-comments-subscription-plugin";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:2999:"<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/postmatic1.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[36097]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/postmatic1.jpg?resize=810%2C378" alt="postmatic" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33866" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://gopostmatic.com/" target="_blank">Postmatic</a> is currently offering free concierge installation, configuration, and user migration for its new comments subscription which is now in beta. The plugin allows users to subscribe to new posts/comments via email and leave a comment by simply hitting reply. Postmatic beta 6 introduced <a href="http://wptavern.com/postmatic-now-supports-1-click-migration-of-subscribers-from-jetpack" target="_blank">1-click migration of subscribers from Jetpack</a>, in order to make it easy for Jetpack users to get on board.</p>
<p>The plugin aims to make WordPress and post/comment subscription emails work seamlessly, so that users don&#8217;t have to leave their inboxes to interact with commenters. While the base plugin is free for any number of blogs and subscribers, the Postmatic creators are looking to monetize it in the future by offering paid delivery of outgoing mail for larger sites.</p>
<p>In an effort to compete against the Jetpack-dominated comment subscription feature, Postmatic is aggressively signing up new users via its free concierge service. For a limited time, the team will perform the following for users who wish to switch to Postmatic:</p>
<ul>
<li>Keep things safe and back up your database</li>
<li>Handle the nuts and bolts to get the plugin installed</li>
<li>Customize your email template by creating a header image and assigning some handy widgets to your footer</li>
<li>Migrate your existing users from Jetpack, Mailpoet, Mailchimp, Feedburner or other double-opt-in email or subscription service</li>
<li>Invite your past commenters to join to subscribe so your content gets right into their inbox</li>
</ul>
<p>The free concierge service is limited to the first 50 people who respond by filling out Postmatic&#8217;s <a href="http://gopostmatic.com/concierge/" target="_blank">application</a>. If the service is successful, I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised to see it added to the product&#8217;s commercial offerings in the near future.</p>
<p>Comments are vital to the health of a blog and are often the strongest indicator of engagement on your content. Based on the initial response to Postmatic, WordPress users who <a href="http://wptavern.com/why-comments-still-matter" target="_blank">value comments</a> are eager to find better ways to extend them to boost interaction.</p>
<p>Postmatic, like many other new products, is entering the marketplace with the strategy of building a strong user base around its free plugin. Its creators are aiming to capture a share of the post/comment subscription market with importers for Jetpack, Mailpoet, Mailchimp, Feedburner and other services before the official public launch.</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:"Fri, 19 Dec 2014 22:10:15 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:3;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:62:"WPTavern: Menu Customizer Now in Development for WordPress 4.2";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=36046";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:72:"http://wptavern.com/menu-customizer-now-in-development-for-wordpress-4-2";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:3581:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/hammer.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[36046]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/hammer.jpg?resize=984%2C447" alt="hammer" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-23557" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-1-dinah-released" target="_blank">WordPress 4.1</a> was released just yesterday, but core contributors are already planning and working towards 4.2. The <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/menu-customizer/" target="_blank">Menu Customizer</a> feature plugin is back in development and contributors are hoping to have it ready for inclusion in 4.2. <a href="http://celloexpressions.com/" target="_blank">Nick Halsey</a>, who originally started the Menu Customizer work as part of his Google Summer of Code project, will be leading the effort to get the feature prepared for the upcoming release.</p>
<p>During the last release cycle, Halsey was focused on improving the Customizer API in core to add dynamic and contextual controls, sections, and panels. The Menu Customizer plugin has now been updated to be compatible with WordPress 4.1 and is ready to pick up development where it left off. As it&#8217;s no longer a GSoC project, Halsey is now <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2014/12/19/menu-customizer-call-for-contributors/" target="_blank">actively looking for contributors</a>.</p>
<p>Currently, the menu customizer is usable and offers the ability to assign menus to locations, edit existing menus/menu items, and add new menus.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/menu-customizer.png" rel="prettyphoto[36046]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/menu-customizer.png?resize=1025%2C570" alt="menu-customizer" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-36056" /></a></p>
<p>Halsey outlined a roadmap for preparing the Menu Customizer for merge, which includes a number of PHP and Javascript development tasks, including, but not limited to, the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Build-out the core API for adding Customizer sections and controls entirely with JavaScript, <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/30741" target="_blank">#30741</a> and its related tickets (PHP, JS)</li>
<li>Drag and Drop menu item reordering needs to do sub-menus (code imported from nav-menus.php is commented out in menu-customizer.js currently) (JS)</li>
<li>Fix problems with previewing updates to menu items, and with previewing newly-added menus once items are added (JS)</li>
<li>Redo the add-menu-items “panel” to lazy-load its contents &#038; utilize Backbone sub-views (PHP, JS)</li>
</ul>
<p>He also hopes to <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/28784" target="_blank">improve the experience of using the customizer on mobile</a>, followed by getting the menu customizer plugin to work on mobile. Halsey is also looking for contributors to assist on the design, code review, a backwards-compatibility audit, and inline documentation.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re curious about how the Menu Customizer works, anyone is welcome to try the plugin and offer feedback. For the time being, it is compatible with WordPress 4.1 but may require 4.2-alpha down the road as it progresses.</p>
<p>Contributor interest is critical for the Menu Customizer to have a shot at inclusion in WordPress 4.2. If you can help in any way, jump in on the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2014/12/19/menu-customizer-call-for-contributors/" target="_blank">Make/WordPress Core post</a> to volunteer.</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:"Fri, 19 Dec 2014 20:57:07 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:4;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:46:"WPTavern: WordSesh 3 Begins Tonight at 7PM EST";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=36065";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:56:"http://wptavern.com/wordsesh-3-begins-tonight-at-7pm-est";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:1371:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/WordSesh3FeaturedImage.png" rel="prettyphoto[36065]"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-32961" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/WordSesh3FeaturedImage.png?resize=650%2C266" alt="WordSesh 3 Featured Image" /></a><a title="http://wordsesh.org/" href="http://wordsesh.org/">WordSesh</a>, the 24 hour virtual WordCamp, begins tonight at 7PM EST when one session per hour for 24 hours straight will stream live on the WordSesh homepage.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s free to attend with sessions covering a wide range of topics including, WordPress performance, WooCommerce, and business advice. Take a look at the <a title="http://wordsesh.org/#schedule" href="http://wordsesh.org/#schedule">schedule</a> to see a list of sessions and their scheduled broadcast time.</p>
<p>In case you can&#8217;t watch a session live, each one will be recorded and made available immediately following the event. Scott Basgaard, the events primary organizer, plans to add each session to a video playlist through the <a title="https://www.youtube.com/user/WordSesh" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/WordSesh">WordSesh YouTube account</a>.</p>
<p>Will you stay awake for 24 hours to watch WordSesh? I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ll be able to make it, but I&#8217;m going to try!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</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:"Fri, 19 Dec 2014 20:53:29 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:5;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:62:"WPTavern: WPWeekly Episode 175 – New Years Resolution Slider";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:44:"http://wptavern.com?p=36024&preview_id=36024";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:68:"http://wptavern.com/wpweekly-episode-175-new-years-resolution-slider";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:4154:"<p>In this episode of WordPress Weekly, Marcus Couch and I discuss a number of topics. We give you a heads up on the latest round of attacks taking advantage of vulnerabilities in the Revolution Slider plugin. We congratulate John James Jacoby on successfully reaching his crowdfunding goal. We talk about a new plugin discovery tool released by ManageWP and compare it to what&#8217;s available on the official directory.</p>
<p>This is the last show of 2014. Thank you for listening and supporting the show throughout the year. The next episode will be on January 7th, 2015.</p>
<h2>Stories Discussed:</h2>
<p><a href="http://wptavern.com/100000-wordpress-sites-compromised-using-the-slider-revolution-security-vulnerability" title="http://wptavern.com/100000-wordpress-sites-compromised-using-the-slider-revolution-security-vulnerability">100,000+ WordPress Sites Compromised Using the Slider Revolution Security Vulnerability</a><br />
<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/storyftw/" title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/storyftw/">StoryFTW Now Available in The Plugin Directory</a><br />
<a href="http://wptavern.com/jetpack-3-3-introduces-new-centralized-dashboard-for-managing-multiple-wordpress-sites" title="http://wptavern.com/jetpack-3-3-introduces-new-centralized-dashboard-for-managing-multiple-wordpress-sites">Jetpack 3.3 Introduces New Centralized Dashboard for Managing Multiple WordPress Sites</a><br />
<a href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-themes-directory-now-requires-all-themes-to-be-translation-ready" title="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-themes-directory-now-requires-all-themes-to-be-translation-ready">WordPress Themes Directory Now Requires All Themes to be Translation-Ready</a><br />
<a href="http://wptavern.com/buddypress-bbpress-and-glotpress-development-campaign-is-now-fully-funded" title="http://wptavern.com/buddypress-bbpress-and-glotpress-development-campaign-is-now-fully-funded">BuddyPress, bbPress, and GlotPress Development Campaign is Now Fully Funded</a><br />
<a href="http://wptavern.com/google-earth-api-to-retire-december-12th-2015" title="http://wptavern.com/google-earth-api-to-retire-december-12th-2015">Google Earth API to Retire December 12th, 2015</a><br />
<a href="http://wptavern.com/managewp-releases-plugin-discovery-tool" title="http://wptavern.com/managewp-releases-plugin-discovery-tool">ManageWP Releases Plugin Discovery Tool</a></p>
<h2>Plugins Picked By Marcus:</h2>
<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/https-mixed-content-detector/" title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/https-mixed-content-detector/">HTTPS Mixed Content Detector</a> attempts to identify sources of mixed content warnings. The plugin will examine content loaded when admins are viewing the site. Any content that violates the policy of loading content that originates from &#8220;https:&#8221; resources will trigger an error and that resource will be logged.</p>
<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/performance-tester/" title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/performance-tester/">Performance Tester</a> allows you to launch a performance and quality analysis on your WordPress home page from your back office. The report is provided by <a href="https://www.dareboost.com/" title="https://www.dareboost.com/">DareBoost</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/idea-factory/" title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/idea-factory/">Idea Factory</a> allows users to submit new ideas from the WordPress front-end and vote on them.</p>
<h2>WPWeekly Meta:</h2>
<p><strong>Next Episode:</strong> Wednesday, January 7th 9:30 P.M. Eastern</p>
<p><strong>Subscribe To WPWeekly Via Itunes: </strong><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wordpress-weekly/id694849738" target="_blank">Click here to subscribe</a></p>
<p><strong>Subscribe To WPWeekly Via RSS: </strong><a href="http://www.wptavern.com/feed/podcast" target="_blank">Click here to subscribe</a></p>
<p><strong>Subscribe To WPWeekly Via Stitcher Radio: </strong><a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/wordpress-weekly-podcast?refid=stpr" target="_blank">Click here to subscribe</a></p>
<p><strong>Listen To Episode #175:</strong><br />
</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:"Fri, 19 Dec 2014 02:11:15 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:6;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: Concept Image Shows Redesign of Drupal.org User Profiles";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=36012";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:"http://wptavern.com/concept-image-shows-redesign-of-drupal-org-user-profiles";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:3275:"<p>Open source projects rely on contributions from both paid and non-paid volunteers. As a project gets larger, there are more ways to contribute. Displaying a user&#8217;s contributions is a great way to show off a person&#8217;s impact to the project.</p>
<p>Like WordPress, <a title="https://www.drupal.org/" href="https://www.drupal.org/">Drupal.org</a> provides a profile page for registered users. During the December 17th <a title="https://assoc.drupal.org/about/meet" href="https://assoc.drupal.org/about/meet">Drupal Association meeting</a>, the team announced it&#8217;s going to redesign Drupal.org user profiles and released a concept image.</p>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/DrupalUserProfileConcept.png" rel="prettyphoto[36012]"><img class="size-full wp-image-36014" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/DrupalUserProfileConcept.png?resize=1025%2C1321" alt="Drupal User Profile Page Redesign Concept" /></a>Drupal User Profile Page Redesign Concept
<p>The proposed design will change slightly as members of the community <a title="https://www.drupal.org/node/2281763" href="https://www.drupal.org/node/2281763">continue to work on it</a>, but I like what I see so far. It&#8217;s clean, uses colors, and does a good job of organizing a lot of information.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the WordPress.org user profiles which are <strong>also</strong> a work in progress, don&#8217;t show nearly as much information. Activity, Plugins, and Favorites are split into sections. However, the main profile page looks nice, uses color, and contains badges.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/WordPressorgOttoProfile.png" rel="prettyphoto[36012]"><img class="size-full wp-image-36016" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/WordPressorgOttoProfile.png?resize=991%2C537" alt="WordPress.org User Profile Pages" /></a>WordPress.org User Profile Pages
<h2>Difference in Approach</h2>
<p>One of the differences between WordPress and Drupal is that <a title="https://www.drupal.org/node/2281763" href="https://www.drupal.org/node/2281763">the ticket</a> dedicated to redesigning Drupal user profile pages is filled with discussion and contributions. On the other hand, WordPress uses a <a title="https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=!closed&component=Profiles" href="https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=!closed&component=Profiles">mixture of tickets</a>, <a title="https://make.wordpress.org/community/2014/02/25/profiles-how-do-you-use-them-or-want-to/" href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/2014/02/25/profiles-how-do-you-use-them-or-want-to/">posts on the Make Community P2 website</a>, and comments to decide how to redesign the profile pages. I&#8217;m a fan of keeping information about a specific feature in a central location as it&#8217;s easier to reference.</p>
<p>User profiles are a common item shared between two large, open source projects. It&#8217;s interesting to see the approach each has taken towards improving the design and showcasing a user&#8217;s contributions to the project.</p>
<p>What do you think of the concept image and is there anything in the design you think would work well for WordPress.org user profiles?</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:"Fri, 19 Dec 2014 00:39:49 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:7;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:81:"WPTavern: Critical Git Vulnerability Patched: Update Your Git Clients Immediately";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35990";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:"http://wptavern.com/critical-git-vulnerability-patched-update-your-git-clients-immediately";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:2605:"<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/git-logo.png" rel="prettyphoto[35990]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/git-logo.png?resize=910%2C380" alt="photo credit: git - the simple guide" class="size-full wp-image-14763" /></a>photo credit: <a href="http://rogerdudler.github.io/git-guide/" target="_blank">git &#8211; the simple guide</a>
<p>Git just announced <a href="http://git-blame.blogspot.com.es/2014/12/git-1856-195-205-214-and-221-and.html" target="_blank">version 2.2.1</a>, a maintenance release that includes a security fix for a critical vulnerability that affects those using Windows and Mac OS X Git clients. This update also includes new releases with the same security fix for older Git versions.</p>
<p>GitHub <a href="https://github.com/blog/1938-vulnerability-announced-update-your-git-clients" target="_blank">confirmed</a> that GitHub for Windows and GitHub for Mac are both affected and should be updated immediately. The GitHub engineering team explains how attackers might exploit the vulnerability:</p>
<blockquote><p>The vulnerability concerns Git and Git-compatible clients that access Git repositories in a case-insensitive or case-normalizing filesystem. An attacker can craft a malicious Git tree that will cause Git to ovewrite its own .git/config file when cloning or checking out a repository, leading to arbitrary command execution in the client machine. Git clients running on OS X (HFS+) or any version of Microsoft Windows (NTFS, FAT) are exploitable through this vulnerability. Linux clients are not affected if they run in a case-sensitive filesystem.</p></blockquote>
<p>If you&#8217;re using GitHub&#8217;s client for <a href="https://windows.github.com/" target="_blank">Windows</a> or <a href="https://mac.github.com/" target="_blank">Mac</a>, the security issue has been patched and is ready for download. This includes an update to both the desktop application and the bundled version of the Git command-line client. If you&#8217;re using any other kind of Git client or software that connects to Git repositories, you&#8217;ll want to update immediately.</p>
<p>Although the issue should not affect Linux users, the release announcement encourages those who operate hosting services with users that fetch from Windows or Mac OS X machines to update in order to protect users with older versions of Git. Check out the <a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git/git/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.2.1.txt" target="_blank">2.2.1 release notes</a> for further information on the security fixes.</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, 18 Dec 2014 22:03:13 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:8;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:61:"WPTavern: Export Your WordPress Blog to Jekyll with One Click";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35497";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:71:"http://wptavern.com/export-your-wordpress-blog-to-jekyll-with-one-click";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:4387:"<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/jekyll.png" rel="prettyphoto[35497]"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35937" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/jekyll.png?resize=909%2C440" alt="jekyll" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://jekyllrb.com/" target="_blank">Jekyll</a> fans are fond of the Ruby-powered static blogging software due to its ease of use and support for <a href="http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/" target="_blank">Markdown</a> and the <a href="https://github.com/Shopify/liquid/wiki" target="_blank">Liquid</a> templating engine. With no database to maintain and no comments to moderate, Jekyll radically simplifies blogging. It&#8217;s also the software that powers blogging on <a href="https://pages.github.com/" target="_blank">Github Pages</a>.</p>
<p>Moving content from WordPress to Jekyll is super easy, thanks to the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/jekyll-exporter/" target="_blank">Jekyll Exporter</a> plugin created by <a href="https://twitter.com/BenBalter" target="_blank">Ben Balter</a>. His Jekyll-powered blog is hosted on <a href="http://ben.balter.com/" target="_blank">GitHub</a>, along with his <a href="https://github.com/benbalter/wordpress-to-jekyll-exporter" target="_blank">exporter plugin</a>, which has been in development for more than a year. It was recently updated to be even easier to use and is now available on WordPress.org.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" width="550"><p>Want to move from <a href="https://twitter.com/WordPress">@WordPress</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/jekyllrb">@jekyllrb</a>? The native, one-click exporter got a big refresh; now in plugin directory <a href="https://t.co/tUWrOe9Tn4">https://t.co/tUWrOe9Tn4</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Ben Balter (@BenBalter) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenBalter/status/543442743197179904">December 12, 2014</a></p></blockquote>
<p></p>
<p>The one-click plugin converts all posts, pages, taxonomies, metadata, and settings to Markdown and YAML, which can be dropped right into Jekyll.</p>
<h3>Who Needs a Jekyll Exporter?</h3>
<p>I think WordPress is the best blogging software out there, but there are some bloggers who don&#8217;t want the hassle of comment moderation and all the maintenance that WordPress requires. This plugin is perfect for conveniently transitioning to Jekyll.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s also useful if you have created a bunch of documentation for a project on your WordPress site but decide to move the docs to a freely hosted Jekyll-powered site on GitHub Pages. This allows you to manage your documentation with version control and makes it easy for others to contribute.</p>
<p>I have not found Jekyll terribly easy to set up when I&#8217;ve worked with it in the past. That&#8217;s why this exporter plugin is a huge time saver &#8211; it basically does everything for you:</p>
<ul>
<li>Converts all posts, pages, and settings from WordPress for use in Jekyll</li>
<li>Export what your users see, not what the database stores (runs post content through the_content filter prior to export, allowing third-party plugins to modify the output)</li>
<li>Converts all post_content to Markdown Extra (using Markdownify)</li>
<li>Converts all post_meta and fields within the wp_posts table to YAML front matter for parsing by Jekyll</li>
<li>Generates a _config.yml with all settings in the wp_options table</li>
<li>Outputs a single zip file with _config.yml, pages, and _posts folder containing .md files for each post in the proper Jekyll naming convention</li>
</ul>
<p>The Jekyll Exporter plugin has no settings to configure. Just click the button and you&#8217;ll have all your content exported into the correct format for Jekyll and organized into the right structure.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re having trouble with your server timing out on the export, Balter has ensured that the plugin is compatible with WP-CLI. You can run this command, which also has support for sites where wp-content isn&#8217;t in the traditional location:</p>
<p><code>wp jekyll-export &gt; export.zip</code></p>
<p>Currently, the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/jekyll-exporter/" target="_blank">Jekyll Exporter</a> is the only one of its kind in the WordPress.org plugin directory. Fortunately, it was created by a reputable developer who knows the ins and outs of using Jekyll after WordPress.</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, 18 Dec 2014 21:33:53 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:9;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:39:"Post Status: WordPress 4.1, “Dinah”";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:"http://www.poststat.us/?p=7245";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:43:"http://www.poststat.us/wordpress-4-1-dinah/";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:7656:"<p><img src="http://www.poststat.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/wordpress-4-1-752x300.jpg" alt="wordpress-4-1" width="627" height="250" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-7247" /><br />
WordPress 4.1, &#8220;Dinah&#8221;, <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2014/12/dinah/">has just been released</a>. WordPress 4.1 is the result of months of work and includes a number of excellent new features.</p>
<p>WordPress 4.1 was led by <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/johnbillion">John Blackbourn</a>, who did an outstanding job. Two hundred and eighty three contributors were part of WordPress 4.1, which Matt Mullenweg states is a new high.</p>
<p>Here are some of the new features.</p>
<h3>Persistent Distraction-free Writing</h3>
<p>I must begin with the new persistent Distraction-free Writing feature, as I&#8217;m using it to write this very post. We&#8217;ve had Distraction-free Writing since 2011, with the <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2011/07/gershwin/">release of WordPress 3.2</a>. However, it&#8217;s always been a single-experience decision. You hit the button to enter distraction free mode, and you utilize it for a single writing session.<span id="more-7245"></span></p>
<p>Now, the button itself is persistent, and the experience of writing distraction free doesn&#8217;t enter a new screen, but rather fade away the distractions of the default editor.</p>
<p><a href="https://cloudup.com/cqbFU6CSqm2"><img src="https://cldup.com/Gya2WLi5yP-900x900.png" alt="Screen Shot" width="900" height="585" /></a></p>
<p>The left admin seamlessly floats away, as do the metaboxes to the right of and below the editor. The editor itself remains, versus using a modified editor like before.</p>
<p>When you update to WordPress 4.1, you are triggered with a note about Distraction-free Writing, and now that it&#8217;s a decision you only have to make once, I think this feature will finally get the broad use it deserves. It really is much more pleasant to write without everything else around you, to be lost in your thoughts as they make their way to the editor.</p>
<h3>Twenty Fifteen theme</h3>
<p><a href="https://cloudup.com/cgjoFpPJvYk"><img src="https://cldup.com/RA_QnzIQ8P-2000x2000.png" alt="Screen Shot" width="877" height="651" /></a></p>
<p>The Twenty Fifteen theme is the finest work I&#8217;ve seen yet of the default theme team. A blogging, and personal, theme &#8212; Twenty Fifteen is simple, with beautiful typography, and capable of showcasing blog posts of any format with poise.</p>
<p>Twenty Fifteen comes in six base color schemes: default (light), dark, yellow, ping, purple, and blue. It also supports WordPress&#8217; background and header image features, and allows you to customize colors from your base selection; Twenty Fifteen can be as quirky as you are.</p>
<p><a href="https://cloudup.com/cFEI4yyaDmU"><img src="https://cldup.com/fRQdHcxeXD-900x900.png" alt="Screen Shot" width="900" height="555" /></a></p>
<p>Here&#8217;s a link to the <a href="http://twentyfifteendemo.wordpress.com/">default theme demo</a>, as well as it&#8217;s <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/twentyfifteen">new page on WordPress.org</a>.</p>
<h3>Dozens of languages, available any time</h3>
<p><a href="https://cloudup.com/ckbOnTY71Gq"><img src="https://cldup.com/UqYmETHq8L-900x900.png" alt="Screen Shot" width="901" height="733" /></a></p>
<p>WordPress has made tremendous progress for non-English speaking users in the past few releases. With WordPress 4.0, you could choose a language on installation, whereas before it required many more steps. Now the team has gone a step further, so that language can be changed at any time, right from WordPress&#8217; general settings page.</p>
<p>Given that <a href="http://www.poststat.us/understand-wordpress-internationalization-translation/">a third of WordPress installs are non-English</a> (and if I recall correctly half of new downloads are non-English now), this change further reduces the barrier of language in publishing software, and is an excellent move for the progression of the platform across the world.</p>
<h3>Recommended plugins</h3>
<p><a href="https://cloudup.com/cQi9LX744H8"><img src="https://cldup.com/r3jaQ2VeCP-900x900.png" alt="Screen Shot" width="900" height="674" /></a></p>
<p>I believe recommended plugins is probably the most controversial feature in WordPress 4.1, though it is not without precedent. &#8220;Featured&#8221; themes have been in the WordPress dashboard for a while now. But with a tab for recommended plugins, now users can see plugin recommendations based on plugins already installed and plugins other sites have installed.</p>
<p>Recommended plugins are replacing the former popular plugins tab, and is mostly a change in the underlying API for showing the plugins themselves. Since it&#8217;s not a manual recommendation, I think this is a good change, and will more accurately help folks find relevant plugins than just listing the most popular plugins in the directory.</p>
<h3>New template tags and theming tools</h3>
<p>I&#8217;m really looking forward to using some of the new template tags introduced in WordPress 4.1.</p>
<p>My favorite is <code>get_the_archive_title()</code>. Themers out there all know about the big blob of conditionals in most theme archive templates to spit out the right string based on which archive template it is. Now, there&#8217;s a function for that, and it&#8217;s fully filterable to boot.</p>
<p>Descriptions of the new title functions, some new pagination functions, and some particularly nice body class assignment enhancements are well described on <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2014/12/04/new-template-tags-in-4-1/">this Make WordPress post</a> by Konstantin Obenland. There&#8217;s also a post about adding theme support to <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2014/10/29/title-tags-in-4-1/">let WordPress handle title tags</a>, which is a handy thing.</p>
<h3>Log out from anywhere</h3>
<p>A relatively small but nice security feature is the new ability to log out of all installs from a single location. WordPress uses cookies to keep you logged into your install for a period of time. Well, if you ever leave yourself logged in on a computer you don&#8217;t trust, you can now log out of all instances easily, from your profile page on an install.</p>
<p>There is a new button that says &#8220;Log Out of All Other Sessions,&#8221; and also tells you if you are logged in at more than one location.</p>
<h3>More improvements to queries</h3>
<p>I love how much progress has been made on the WordPress query tools in the last couple of years. WordPress 4.1 introduces the ability for a nested query syntax, which makes more complex queries possible for <code>WP_Tax_Query</code>, <code>WP_Date_Query</code>, and <code>WP_Meta_Query</code>. I don&#8217;t often call out single individual&#8217;s work on something, but Boone Georges <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/29822">really</a> <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/29738">slayed</a> <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/29642">it</a> with the nested queries work. He wrote about it <a href="http://teleogistic.net/2014/12/wordpress-4-1-and-me/">on his blog in detail</a>.</p>
<h3>More under the hood</h3>
<p>WordPress 4.1 includes many other under the hood features you should check out on the <a href="http://codex.wordpress.org/Version_4.1">Codex page about the release</a>.</p>
<h3>More excellent progress for WordPress</h3>
<p>WordPress is better than ever, and hundreds (or thousands) of people make it so. Great job everyone. Now, go download WordPress 4.1.</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, 18 Dec 2014 19:12:52 +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:15:"Brian Krogsgard";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:10;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:44:"WPTavern: WordPress 4.1 “Dinah” Released";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35700";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:48:"http://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-1-dinah-released";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:7758:"<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/dinah.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35700]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35977" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/dinah.jpg?resize=1025%2C502" alt="photo credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Image" /></a>photo credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Image
<p>After nearly four months of development, WordPress 4.1 &#8220;Dinah&#8221; in honor of jazz singer <a href="http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinah_Washington">Dinah Washington</a>, is <a title="https://wordpress.org/news/2014/12/wordpress-4-1-dinah/" href="https://wordpress.org/news/2014/12/wordpress-4-1-dinah/">available for download</a>. Led by<a href="http://wptavern.com/meet-john-blackbourn-wordpress-4-1-release-lead"> John Blackbourn</a>, 4.1 contains several improvements such as a new default theme, an improved distraction free writing experience, and plugin recommendations.</p>
<h2>Twenty Fifteen</h2>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/TwentyFifteenDefaultTheme.png" rel="prettyphoto[35700]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35706" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/TwentyFifteenDefaultTheme.png?resize=830%2C518" alt="New Default Theme For 2015" /></a>New Default Theme For 2015
<p>Twenty Fifteen is a two-column theme with a focus on content. In sharp contrast to <a title="https://wordpress.org/themes/twentyfourteen" href="https://wordpress.org/themes/twentyfourteen">Twenty Fourteen</a>, Twenty Fifteen is light in color with a left hand sidebar and content in the right column. It&#8217;s designed with a mobile first approach and looks great on various screen sizes. Twenty Fifteen looks best when using large, featured images. It also ships with five different color schemes, ranging from dark to pink that are accessible from within the theme customizer.</p>
<h2>Plugin Recommendations</h2>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/RecommendedPluginsTab.png" rel="prettyphoto[35700]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35318" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/RecommendedPluginsTab.png?resize=1025%2C527" alt="Plugins Recommended To Me Based on Data of Sites with Similar Plugins Installed" /></a>Plugins Recommended To Me Based on Data of Sites with Similar Plugins Installed
<p>When you browse to the Add New plugins screen, you&#8217;ll see a new Recommended tab. Recommendations are based on data from thousands of WordPress sites about plugins that are commonly used together. It&#8217;s similar to an online store&#8217;s &#8220;people who bought this also bought this&#8221; feature.  Because of the strict data set used, plugins that are 3-4 years old or older won&#8217;t be recommended.</p>
<h2>Improved Distraction Free Writing</h2>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/DistractionFreeWriting41.png" rel="prettyphoto[35700]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35707" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/DistractionFreeWriting41.png?resize=1025%2C501" alt="Distraction Free Writing in WordPress 4.1" /></a>Distraction Free Writing in WordPress 4.1
<p>When you enable Distraction Free Writing mode, the surrounding interface disappears as you type leaving important actions and menu items just a mouse movement away. This mode minimizes distractions without having to go through a clunky transition to access the admin menu or meta boxes. To bring back the menu and meta boxes, move the mouse cursor to the left or right of the editor.</p>
<h2>Log Out of Every Session With One Button</h2>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/WordPressSessionUI.png" rel="prettyphoto[35700]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35708" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/WordPressSessionUI.png?resize=982%2C357" alt="WordPress Session UI" /></a>WordPress Session UI
<p>WordPress 4.1 includes a new Session UI. The UI shows up on the profile page when WordPress detects more than one active session. When pressed, the button logs out of every session except for the active one. This is useful for those times when users might have forgotten to log off from a laptop, phone, or public computer.</p>
<h2>Inline Image Editing</h2>
<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/InlineImageEditing.png" rel="prettyphoto[35700]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35709" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/InlineImageEditing.png?resize=681%2C386" alt="Inline Image Editing Tools" /></a>Inline Image Editing Tools
<p>When editing an image using the Visual editor, a set of inline editing tools appear above the image. These tools provide a quick and easy way to align an image or access additional editing options.</p>
<h2>oEmbed Support Added For Vine</h2>
<p>WordPress 4.1 has<a title="http://codex.wordpress.org/Embeds" href="http://codex.wordpress.org/Embeds"> oEmbed support</a> for <a title="https://vine.co" href="https://vine.co">Vine</a> which hosts short videos that continuously loop. Sharing a Vine is now as easy as copying and pasting the URL into the Visual editor.</p>
<h2>Choose a Different Language at Any Time</h2>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/SiteLanguageWordPress4.1.png" rel="prettyphoto[35700]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35711" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/SiteLanguageWordPress4.1.png?resize=637%2C450" alt="Site Language Picker in WordPress 4.1" /></a>Site Language Picker in WordPress 4.1
<p>You can now choose a language for your site at any time by visiting the General Settings screen. Choosing a different language installs the required <a title="http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_in_Your_Language" href="http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_in_Your_Language">language pack</a>.</p>
<h2>Developer Items</h2>
<p>Metadata, date, and term queries now support <a title="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2014/10/20/update-on-query-improvements-in-4-1/" href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2014/10/20/update-on-query-improvements-in-4-1/">advanced conditional logic</a>, like nested clauses and multiple operators. There are a couple of <a title="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2014/12/04/new-template-tags-in-4-1/" href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2014/12/04/new-template-tags-in-4-1/">new Template tags</a> and a major improvement with <a title="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-1-to-introduce-theme-support-for-the-title-tag" href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-1-to-introduce-theme-support-for-the-title-tag">Title Tags</a> in 4.1. There have also been several <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2014/10/27/toward-a-complete-javascript-api-for-the-customizer/">improvements to the Customizer API</a>, including contextual panels, sections, and JavaScript templates for controls.</p>
<h2>4.1 Represents Continued Improvement</h2>
<p>WordPress 4.1 is the product of dedicated developers and 283 contributors. The ability to choose a language without having to touch a line of code is a great improvement. The default theme is refreshing compared to Twenty Fourteen and users have an entire year to manipulate the design. While some users will see the new Distraction Free Writing mode as a distraction, others will enjoy its convenience.</p>
<p>This is one of the first major WordPress releases in a long time that doesn&#8217;t have a video walk through. To take its place, here is a video featuring songs from Dinah Washington in 1954.</p>
<p><span class="embed-youtube"></span></p>
<p>What do you think of the new default theme and will you try out the new Distraction Free Writing mode? Let us know what you think of 4.1 in the comments.</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, 18 Dec 2014 18:37:53 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:11;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: Intergalactic: A Bold Free WordPress Theme from Automattic";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35880";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:"http://wptavern.com/intergalactic-a-bold-free-wordpress-theme-from-automattic";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:2905:"<p>Despite a global <a href="http://rt.com/news/global-space-spending-shrinks-001/" target="_blank">decrease in public funding for space programs</a>, humans are still reaching for the last frontier through <a href="http://www.space.com/24848-science-fiction-space-movies-2014-countdown.html" target="_blank">film</a>, <a href="http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-10-24/nasas-voyager-probes-at-35-listen-to-the-music-of-the-planets" target="_blank">music</a>, and even design. Automattic&#8217;s latest free theme release on WordPress.org is a bold new take on the space motif.</p>
<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/intergalactic" target="_blank">Intergalactic</a> features strong typography with post titles overlaying full-width featured images. The one-column layout is well-suited to a personal blog and the theme has support for all the standard post formats.</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/intergalactic-theme.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35880]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/intergalactic-theme.jpg?resize=660%2C928" alt="intergalactic-theme" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35903" /></a></p>
<p>Intergalactic also includes support for custom headers, custom backgrounds, and a social links menu. The theme keeps navigation out of sight via a high-contrast slideout menu. The sidebar is 530px wide with plenty of space for longer page titles and wider widgets.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/intergalactic-slide-out-menu.png" rel="prettyphoto[35880]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/intergalactic-slide-out-menu.png?resize=1025%2C357" alt="intergalactic-slide-out-menu" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35916" /></a></p>
<p>The theme also has built-in styles for right-aligned, left-aligned, and centered pullquotes, which can be easily set in the text editor.</p>
<pre class="brush: xml; light: true; title: ; notranslate">&lt;blockquote class="alignleft"&gt;
   This is a left-aligned blockquote.
&lt;/blockquote&gt;</pre>
<p>Intergalactic&#8217;s bold design takes you back to the glory days when space photography was brand new and manned missions put explorers on the moon. It&#8217;s been more than 40 years since the Apollo 17 astronauts&#8217; last visit to the lunar surface in 1972, but the idea of space travel remains firmly stuck in the public imagination.</p>
<p>If you need a new look for your blog and you&#8217;re aiming to publish at the speed of light in 2015, the Intergalactic theme is a powerful motivator. Check out the <a href="http://intergalacticdemo.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">live demo</a> on WordPress.com to see it in action. Intergalactic is now available to <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/intergalactic" target="_blank">download</a> for free from the WordPress.org Themes Directory.</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, 18 Dec 2014 06:19:22 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:12;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:"WPTavern: How to Take Control of The WordPress Heartbeat API";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35865";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:"http://wptavern.com/how-to-take-control-of-the-wordpress-heartbeat-api";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:8187:"<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/HeartbeatControlFeaturedImage.png" rel="prettyphoto[35865]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35888" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/HeartbeatControlFeaturedImage.png?resize=638%2C271" alt="Heartbeat Control Featured Image" /></a>photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/osseous/11865341393/">osseous</a> &#8211; <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>
<p>The WordPress <a title="http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_heartbeat_settings" href="http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_heartbeat_settings">Heartbeat API, introduced in WordPress 3.6, </a>simulates a pulse and is responsible for revision tracking, session management, and more. The pulse is around 98 Bytes in size, but it can cause performance issues in certain situations.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;ve been notified by your webhost that your account is using too many resources and cite <code>POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php</code> as the cause, it&#8217;s likely due to the Heartbeat API.</p>
<h2>How The Heartbeat API Works</h2>
<p>Inmotion Hosting has an <a title="http://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/wordpress/heartbeat-ajax-php-usage#heartbeat-in-action" href="http://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/wordpress/heartbeat-ajax-php-usage#heartbeat-in-action">excellent article</a> that explains how the Heartbeat API works. If you monitor server requests while in the post editor, you&#8217;ll see <code>POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php "http://example.com/wp-admin/index.php</code> appear every 15 seconds. This is the pulse generated by the API.</p>
<p>The pulse makes sure you have a persistent connection to the web server and provides a way for developers to trigger events. For example, if the pulse takes 30 seconds or longer to process, WordPress displays a connection error and attempts to reconnect to the server.</p>
<h2>The Problem</h2>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/PulseExecutionTime.png" rel="prettyphoto[35865]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35883" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/PulseExecutionTime.png?resize=221%2C183" alt="Execution Time" /></a>Execution Time
<p>There are several situations in which a pulse is generated either automatically, or by a user. Most of the time pulses are harmless and don&#8217;t do anything.</p>
<p>Each pulse (POST request) executes a PHP script equating to CPU time on the server. In an experiment, InMotion Hosting left the dashboard open for a half hour and noticed <strong>25</strong> PHP script executions that used <strong>5.77</strong> CPU seconds. The small amount of CPU time was used to do nothing.</p>
<p>The problem is compounded by the fact that each user who has access to the backend of WordPress generates a pulse. As the number of users navigating the WordPress backend simultaneously increases, so does the number of pulses generated from the API.</p>
<p>If a webhosting provider has strict limits on the number of processes or resources used, you could easily go over the limit.</p>
<h2>How to Control The Heartbeat API</h2>
<p><a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/heartbeat-control/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/heartbeat-control/">Heartbeat Control</a>, developed by <a title="http://jeffmatson.net/" href="http://jeffmatson.net/">Jeff Matson</a>, is a new plugin that enables you to control the interval of pulses. After activating the plugin, you&#8217;ll find the settings located in <strong>Tools&gt;Heartbeat Control</strong>.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/HeartbeatControlSettings.png" rel="prettyphoto[35865]"><img class="wp-image-35885 size-full" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/HeartbeatControlSettings.png?resize=502%2C258" alt="Heartbeat Control Settings" /></a>Heartbeat Control Settings
<p>You can choose to disable the API entirely, only on the dashboard page, or allow it only on the post editing screen. You can also choose the interval when pulses are sent. The choices range from 15-60 seconds with 5 second intervals in between.</p>
<p>By changing the interval to 60 seconds, pulses are less likely to impact server performance. Several <a title="http://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/wordpress/heartbeat-ajax-php-usage#comments" href="http://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/wordpress/heartbeat-ajax-php-usage#comments">HostGator customers</a> who use the plugin report they no longer experience suspensions for using too many resources.</p>
<h2>Why InMotion Hosting Doesn&#8217;t Throttle The API by Default</h2>
<p>If increasing the pulse interval from 15 to 60 seconds increases server performance, why doesn&#8217;t InMotion Hosting throttle the API on every webhosting server?</p>
<p>Matson, who works for InMotion Hosting, says a one size fits all approach doesn&#8217;t work. &#8220;The reason we don&#8217;t do that is because there are some users that require it at the default rate or an even higher frequency. When making server-wide changes, you have to be extremely careful that you do not impact a customer&#8217;s site.&#8221;</p>
<p>Matson goes on to say that, &#8220;As a host, the number one goal is making customers happy and restricting the normal operation of a user&#8217;s site is unacceptable.&#8221;</p>
<h2>How HostGator Almost Deleted WP Tavern</h2>
<p>I sympathize with those who use HostGator as they have a strict <a title="http://support.hostgator.com/articles/pre-sales-policies/rules-terms-of-service/cpu-resource-restriction" href="http://support.hostgator.com/articles/pre-sales-policies/rules-terms-of-service/cpu-resource-restriction">CPU resource restriction</a>. If pulses from the Heartbeat API cause the CPU to become busy or cause a backup in processes, using 25% of the CPU longer than 90 seconds is easy to do.</p>
<p>HostGator&#8217;s policy for using too many resources is to suspend the account. This makes it impossible to troubleshoot the problem. If you exceed the resource allotment more than five times, the site is removed from the server and your account is banned.</p>
<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/HostGatorResourcePolicy.png" rel="prettyphoto[35865]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35886" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/HostGatorResourcePolicy.png?resize=503%2C107" alt="HostGator Resource Policy" /></a>HostGator Resource Policy
<p>In late 2013, when WP Tavern used HostGator, I experienced first-hand what it&#8217;s like to have a website suspended. When I upgraded the Tavern to WordPress 3.6, which introduced the Heartbeat API, I <a title="http://wptavern.com/my-wordpress-is-denying-itself-service" href="http://wptavern.com/my-wordpress-is-denying-itself-service">started to experience problems</a>. The site would routinely lock up and when I viewed the processes tab in cPanel, it looked like a simple process repeated itself, leading to a denial of service.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/siteoffline.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35865]"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-7554" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/siteoffline.jpg?resize=741%2C644" alt="Site Offline Errors" /></a>I can&#8217;t confirm if the Heartbeat API was the culprit but it&#8217;s high on my list of suspicions. After suspending the Tavern twice, HostGator informed me that if the site was suspended again, it would be removed from the server without giving me a chance to back it up. Needless to say, I switched hosts immediately.</p>
<h2>Don&#8217;t End Up in a Similar Situation</h2>
<p>If you&#8217;re using a webhosting service with strict resource limits, consider installing Heartbeat Control to limit the number of pulses. Not only will it mean fewer calls to the server, but it may lead to a performance increase as well. Keep a close eye on the resources used and if you come close to maxing out, it&#8217;s a sign you need to upgrade to a better plan. Don&#8217;t end up in a position where you may lose your site!</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, 18 Dec 2014 02:19:22 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:13;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:84:"WPTavern: Atlanta WordPress Coders Guild: A New Meetup for Designers and Programmers";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35847";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:93:"http://wptavern.com/atlanta-wordpress-coders-guild-a-new-meetup-for-designers-and-programmers";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:7495:"<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/atlanta.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35847]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35874" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/atlanta.jpg?resize=1022%2C496" alt="photo credit: FrenchKheldar - cc" /></a>photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/frenchkheldar/3322197028/">FrenchKheldar</a> &#8211; <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
<p>The Atlanta metro area will soon be getting a new type of WordPress meetup, targeted towards programmers and designers. Local organizers <a href="http://mikeschinkel.com/" target="_blank">Mike Schinkel</a> and <a href="http://micahwood.me/" target="_blank">Micah Wood</a> announced the <a href="http://www.meetup.com/atlanta-wordpress-coders-guild/" target="_blank">Atlanta WordPress Coders Guild</a> on Meetup.com and have already attracted 55 members who identify themselves as coders.</p>
<p>Due to the group&#8217;s unique requirements, it is not affiliated with the WordPress Foundation-sponsored <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/community/meetups/" target="_blank">community meetups</a>. In order to become a member, one must be interested in working with technologies such as PHP, MySQL, Apache, Javascript, jQuery, Git, Backbone, Vagrant, Gulp, Grunt, SASS, and the WordPress API.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are not affiliated with the WordPress Foundation&#8217;s Community Meetups initiative because we are not open to WordPress end-users,&#8221; Schinkel emphasizes in the meetup&#8217;s description. &#8220;We are instead a group for serious professionals with a goal of raising the bar for WordPress coder talent in the Southeast and to make it more viable for the major project funders to choose WordPress instead of closed source solutions.&#8221;</p>
<p>Official community meetups have a requirement to have membership open to &#8220;all who wish to join, regardless of ability, skill, financial status or any other criteria.&#8221; Since the Atlanta WordPress Coders Guild isn&#8217;t open to all skill levels, it is running independently. The organizers plan to host workshops centered around best practices expected by clients who spend $100k+ on projects that demand a high level of performance and security.</p>
<h3>Atlanta&#8217;s Fragmented WordPress Community</h3>
<p>Schinkel has lived in the Atlanta area for several decades and has a great deal of experience <a href="http://mikeschinkel.com/blog/25-best-practices-for-meetup-organizers/" target="_blank">organizing professional meetups</a>. He&#8217;s an accidental connector who became acquainted with many people in the area and has a unique perspective on the Atlanta tech and WordPress communities.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have a really strong tech community backed by education like Georgia Tech and ~10 Fortune 500 companies in the Atlanta area, and tons on technology meetups,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Lots of Java, .NET, Ruby, Javascript and PHP, and at least 10 large digital agencies with probably up to 1000 agencies if you count the small ones.&#8221;</p>
<p>The startup community is also thriving in the area and Atlanta is experiencing growth across various sectors, including financial, health tech, IT security, and more. Unfortunately, this has not directly translated into a strong WordPress community.</p>
<p>&#8220;The WordPress community, however, is fragmented because of metro Atlanta’s expansive geography, lack of any natural geographic boundaries and no single entity with the clout to really organize a cohesive community,&#8221; Schinkel explained. The area has 10 different meetups, many of which fail to attract more than a handful of members on a regular basis.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.meetup.com/wordpress-atlanta/" target="_blank">Atlanta WordPress Users Group</a>, organized by Judi Knight, is the most successful with approximately 1600 members, but Schinkel says those are primarily people willing to travel to a meetup in town. Outer metro Atlanta residents are reluctant to attend.</p>
<p>&#8220;Also, from the perspective of a professional WordPress PHP, MySQL and jQuery coder, those meetups are characterized by really novice end-users,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Rarely, if ever, is there any significant WordPress coding talent in attendance, and intermediate to advanced topics are never announced or covered.&#8221;</p>
<h3>The Need for More Workshops Focused on Advanced Topics</h3>
<p>Schinkel believes that the Atlanta WordPress community needs the opportunity to have more advanced workshops and developer-focused meetups. &#8220;As far as I can tell the existing successful WordPress meetups all focus on the needs of end-users,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That’s great, it is what in part has driven the success of WordPress, but it also means that there are no local meetups to help WordPress coders to grow their skills.&#8221;</p>
<p>Schinkel used the term &#8220;coder&#8221; in the meetup name specifically to filter out those he would classify as developers.</p>
<blockquote><p>Many people think of themselves as &#8216;WordPress Developers&#8217; when what they do is install WordPress; select, install and configure a theme; select, install and configure plugins; maybe tweak CSS; and add some page templates with a bit if loop and template tag coding. So we think of those people as &#8216;Site Builders&#8217; and think the term &#8216;developer&#8217; is too broadly adopted to have any communicable distinction in the context of WordPress people.</p></blockquote>
<p>There are a myriad of meetups in Atlanta for WordPress end users who want to learn about using themes and plugins, but virtually no meetups for coders who want to expand their skills. This is why the organizers are spearheading a WordPress coders guild in Atlanta.</p>
<p>&#8220;First and foremost we want to see more Atlanta agencies and internal teams in the larger Atlanta organizations choosing WordPress for their projects,&#8221; Schinkel said. &#8220;For that to happen there has to be a stronger talent base in Atlanta who are knowledgeable and experienced in WordPress best practices, at least as far as they relate to agency use of WordPress.&#8221;</p>
<p>He anticipates that the group will probably have its first &#8220;get to know each other&#8221; meetup in January and then start workshops in February. With advanced topics in the spotlight every week, Schinkel hopes that agencies and internal teams that rarely come out to network will be more motivated to attend.</p>
<p>&#8220;We want to create a stronger WP coder community than we currently have in Atlanta, and the one we currently have is really lacking,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Put it another way, Drupal has a far stronger developer community in Atlanta because of their Drupal meetup and yet Drupal has ~1/10th the marketshare of WordPress. Now that is really sad, don’t you think?&#8221;</p>
<p>Schinkel and Wood have identified a common problem with many community meetups where the topics focus on end user education. While connecting with people of all skill levels is important, more advanced WordPress professionals often become less motivated to attend meetups that don&#8217;t include topics that challenge them and help them become better at their work. The <a href="http://www.meetup.com/atlanta-wordpress-coders-guild/" target="_blank">Atlanta WordPress Coders Guild</a> aims to solve this problem with an alternative, non-traditional WordPress meetup.</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, 17 Dec 2014 23:34:20 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:14;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:97:"WPTavern: VVV-Dashboard Provides an Interface for Managing Varying Vagrant Vagrants Installations";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35807";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:107:"http://wptavern.com/vvv-dashboard-provides-an-interface-for-managing-varying-vagrant-vagrants-installations";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:3392:"<p><a href="https://github.com/leogopal/VVV-Dashboard" target="_blank">VVV-Dashboard</a> is a new tool that provides an interface for managing your <a href="https://github.com/Varying-Vagrant-Vagrants/VVV" target="_blank">Varying Vagrant Vagrants</a> installations. Inspired by <a href="http://wptavern.com/variable-vvv-a-new-vvv-site-creation-wizard-for-wordpress" target="_blank">Variable VVV</a>, a script that makes it easy to create and delete sites, <a href="https://twitter.com/leogopal" target="_blank">Leo Gopal</a> made VVV-Dashboard to complement it.</p>
<p>Gopal is a WordPress developer from Cape Town, South Africa. &#8220;I installed my first WordPress site seven years ago while in high school and started creating sites for clients ever since. Only recently, after Matt&#8217;s <a href="http://ma.tt/2014/09/five-for-the-future/" target="_blank">Five for the Future</a> speech, did I decide to come out and offer what I have to everyone, more freely,&#8221; he said. VVV-Dashboard is one of his first public contributions.</p>
<p>The tool was designed to work with Variable VVV but can be used without it. &#8220;Because VVV is very terminal oriented, it&#8217;s easy to forget commands when you need them. For example, you might forget to &#8216;vagrant up &#8211;provision&#8217; when working with Variable VVV (and other site creators),&#8221; Gopal said. VVV-Dashboard adds a quick reference page inside your vvv.dev site for commands and includes a list of all your Vagrant installs.</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/vvv-dashboard.png" rel="prettyphoto[35807]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/vvv-dashboard.png?resize=1025%2C472" alt="vvv-dashboard" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35817" /></a></p>
<p>The title of the page displays how many VVV sites you have installed on your machine. Each site and its admin are linked, along with a <a href="http://www.xdebug.org/docs/profiler" target="_blank">profiler</a> button that offers a quick overview. In order for the profiler to work, you must have Xdebug turned on.</p>
<p>Many developers end up with a long list of dev sites, and it can be difficult to remember what sites are active and where they are located. The VVV-Dashboard interface saves you time with a convenient list and might even inspire you to perform a cleanup of sites no longer in use.</p>
<p>In the next few releases, Gopal plans to include more basic site info in the dashboard, such as whether or not WP_Debug is enabled, an indicator for if Xdebug is on/off, the current active theme, etc. Variable VVV recently added a blueprints feature, which allows you to set up different plugins, themes, mu-plugins, options, or constants that will be installed to a new site you create. Gopal plans to create a few blueprint examples and add them to VVV-Dashboard.</p>
<p>VVV-Dashboard is licensed under the GPL V2. It adds a friendly layer between you and your VVV sites to make management more convenient and efficient. Check out the project on <a href="https://github.com/leogopal/VVV-Dashboard" target="_blank">GitHub</a> where you&#8217;ll find complete installation instructions. If you have any tips on how to improve the project, make sure to <a href="https://github.com/leogopal/VVV-Dashboard/issues/new" target="_blank">leave your feedback</a> for the developer.</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, 17 Dec 2014 20:01:09 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:15;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:49:"WPTavern: ManageWP Releases Plugin Discovery Tool";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35747";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:59:"http://wptavern.com/managewp-releases-plugin-discovery-tool";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:5361:"<p>The <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/">WordPress plugin directory</a> has nearly 35k plugins and discovering new ones that have been tested and downloaded a few thousand times is difficult. Users can browse the directory for newest, recently updated, most popular, and highest rated plugins. With the exception of the <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/browse/updated/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/browse/updated/">recently updated</a> category, there&#8217;s no way to discover plugins in the middle of the pack. A new <a title="https://managewp.org/plugins/best" href="https://managewp.org/plugins/best">plugin discovery tool</a> by ManageWP, attempts to solve the problem.</p>
<h2>Algorithm Based</h2>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ManageWPBestNewPlugins.png" rel="prettyphoto[35747]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35794" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ManageWPBestNewPlugins.png?resize=925%2C663" alt="Best New Plugins" /></a>Best New Plugins Page
<p>The front page of <a title="https://managewp.org/plugins/best" href="https://managewp.org/plugins/best">ManageWP.org/plugins</a> displays the best new plugins under 100k downloads. The plugins are determined using an algorithm that takes into account plugin quality and acceleration of growth. A plugin&#8217;s quality is determined using seven metrics:</p>
<ul>
<li>Last Updated</li>
<li>WordPress Compatibility</li>
<li>Support</li>
<li>Rating</li>
<li>Plugin Popularity</li>
<li>Author Popularity</li>
<li>Other plugins from the same author</li>
</ul>
<p>Using a combination of metrics, ManageWP is able to display a constantly evolving list of <a title="https://managewp.org/plugins/rising" href="https://managewp.org/plugins/rising"><em>rising stars</em></a>. Placing emphasis on a plugin&#8217;s compatibility with WordPress and when it was last updated might motivate plugin authors to keep these fields updated.</p>
<h2>Comparing Plugins</h2>
<p>If you&#8217;re curious to see how plugins compare to each other, check out the <a title="https://managewp.org/#comparePlugins" href="https://managewp.org/#comparePlugins">plugin comparison section</a> of the site. Simply choose two different plugins and hit the compare button. The comparison displays each plugin&#8217;s statistics with a download chart at the bottom. At the moment, you&#8217;re limited to comparing only two plugins at the same time, but there are plans to allow for more in the future.</p>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ManageWPPluginComparison.png" rel="prettyphoto[35747]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35793" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ManageWPPluginComparison.png?resize=915%2C493" alt="Plugin Comparisons" /></a>Plugin Comparisons
<h2>Plugin Awards</h2>
<p>Awards are a quick way to determine how well a plugin is doing in specific categories. For example, <a title="https://managewp.org/plugins/details/wordpress-seo" href="https://managewp.org/plugins/details/wordpress-seo">WordPress SEO</a> by Team Yoast, has a number of awards for being the most downloaded and highest rated in multiple categories. I think it would be beneficial if this area was extended to highlight more ranks like top ten, top five, and number one.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/PluginAwards.png" rel="prettyphoto[35747]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35797" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/PluginAwards.png?resize=599%2C559" alt="ManageWP Plugin Awards" /></a>ManageWP Plugin Awards
<h2>Future Improvements</h2>
<p>ManageWP founder, Vladimir Prelovac, says he&#8217;s not finished with the site. In <a title="https://managewp.com/blog" href="https://managewp.com/blog">the announcement</a>, he shares a couple of ideas on what he&#8217;d like to see in the next iteration.</p>
<ul>
<li>Simpler plugin comparison, allow multiple plugins compared at once.</li>
<li>Include <a href="https://wpvulndb.com/">WP Vulnerability Database</a> security data to plugin details page and Plugin Quality score.</li>
<li>Allow plugin authors to ‘claim’ their pages. This will allow all sorts of activity like adding the links to their premium support, answering Q&amp;A</li>
<li>Open everything via an API so everyone can use the engine and its data</li>
</ul>
<p>The WP Vulnerability Database will be a nice enhancement, especially if you can see how many vulnerability reports a plugin has. Something to keep in mind is that ManageWP/Plugins is utilizing the <a title="http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress.org_API" href="http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress.org_API">WordPress.org Plugins API,</a> which limits the types of data it&#8217;s able to work with.</p>
<h2>A Plugin Directory Without The Plugins</h2>
<p>I love the idea behind <a title="https://managewp.org/plugins" href="https://managewp.org/plugins">ManageWP/Plugins</a> because it fills a void created by the plugin directory. It&#8217;s essentially a sub-section of the directory without the plugins. When I look for plugins to review, the directory leaves me little choice between one that&#8217;s popular or brand new. ManageWP/Plugins gives me an opportunity to discover them before they reach global popularity.</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, 17 Dec 2014 05:58:57 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:16;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:108:"WPTavern: WordPress Accessibility Team Is Mobilizing to Make Accessibility Required for WordPress.org Themes";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35570";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:118:"http://wptavern.com/wordpress-accessibility-team-is-mobilizing-to-make-accessibility-required-for-wordpress-org-themes";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:4368:"<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/guided-road.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35570]"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-22575" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/guided-road.jpg?resize=900%2C421" alt="guided-road" /></a></p>
<p>Throughout the first half of this month, the WordPress Accessibility team has been working together with the Theme Review Team to discuss the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/accessibility/2014/12/04/theme-accessibility-meeting-notes/" target="_blank">possibility of requiring the accessibility-ready tag</a> for themes hosted on WordPress.org. The team will need to create an official proposal to submit to the Theme Review Team in order to make this happen.</p>
<p>In preparation, the Accessibility team is increasing efforts to educate theme authors on accessibility best practices. Joe Dolson published a post with <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2014/12/15/three-easy-tips-for-accessible-theming/" target="_blank">tips for making WordPress themes accessible</a>, which includes basic instructions for making themes work with a keyboard, creating event triggers as accessible controls, and adding supporting text for images.</p>
<p>The Accessibility team also created a <a href="https://github.com/wpaccessibility/" target="_blank">GitHub repository</a> for sharing WordPress-specific code examples for accessibility and plans to add resources in the near future. The theme handbook and reviewer&#8217;s handbook will potentially need to be reworked in order to account for the new guidelines. &#8220;The goal is for those documents to explicitly correlate to the theme accessibility guidelines, so that theme authors have specific guidance on what to do to meet those requirements,&#8221; Dolson said at a recent meeting.</p>
<p>The Accessibility team hopes to announcing new guidelines for theme developers in April 2015, which would then be required as of November 2015. Once the guidelines are finalized for both required and recommended items, the Accessibility team will also need to train the Theme Review Team on reviewing for accessibility.</p>
<p>For most traditional WordPress sites, the active theme is the face of the website, and accessibility-ready themes undoubtedly improve the experience of WordPress for users with disabilities. However, making accessibility required for themes is a long and difficult path. The possibility of the requirement already has opposition among Theme Review Team administrators.</p>
<p>When we <a href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-themes-directory-now-requires-all-themes-to-be-translation-ready" target="_blank">published</a> about WordPress.org&#8217;s newest requirement for themes to be translation-ready, several readers chimed in on the comments to advocate for accessibility to be required. Justin Tadlock, a TRT admin, <a href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-themes-directory-now-requires-all-themes-to-be-translation-ready#comment-61697" target="_blank">replied</a>, &#8220;As an admin of TRT, full compliance with our current accessibility guidelines is something I’d fight to not make a requirement.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unfortunately, making a theme accessible can sometimes mean not respecting a designer’s artistic vision. This is particularly an issue with color contrasts. Anything that would hinder design decisions like this is not something I would support. That’s beyond the scope of what TRT’s role is.&#8221;</p>
<p>Even with more education for theme authors, additional guidelines pose another hurdle to overcome in the rigorous review process. Tadlock believes it would stifle submissions from new theme authors. &#8220;Requiring accessibility-ready themes would be such a huge barrier to entry for new theme authors that it would be detrimental to the system.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Accessibility team is highly motivated to push for this new requirement and is currently working on a precise proposal that will be voted on by the Theme Review Team. &#8220;The important thing with the proposal is clarity,&#8221; Dolson said, recognizing that it could be blocked if the two teams are unable to communicate effectively about the issues at stake. The decisions made in the first part of 2015 will determine the immediate future of theme accessibility in the WordPress.org Themes Directory.</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, 16 Dec 2014 21:24:20 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:17;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:38:"Post Status: Let’s WordSesh together";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:"http://www.poststat.us/?p=7232";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:46:"http://www.poststat.us/lets-wordsesh-together/";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:1513:"<p><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-7233" src="http://www.poststat.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/wordsesh-3-752x317.png" alt="wordsesh-3" width="627" height="264" /></p>
<p>This weekend, <a href="http://wordsesh.org/">WordSesh</a> 3 will begin. WordSesh is 24 straight hours of live streamed presentations and discussions from a variety of intelligent folks in the WordPress world.</p>
<p>It starts at 0:00 UTC Saturday, which really means 7:00 p.m. Eastern time on Friday for those of us in America. It&#8217;ll run through Saturday evening.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://wordsesh.org/#schedule">lineup</a> for WordSesh is as good as any WordCamp, and the chat around the past events has been fantastic. Scott Basgaard and his team of volunteers do a great job.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll be on a WordPress news roundtable at the tail end of WordSesh. On Friday, I&#8217;m going to have some news that will help explain my radio silence of late, and will probably spice up the conversation I&#8217;m to have with Jeff Chandler (of WP Tavern), Dre Armeda and Brad Williams (of DradCast) and Doc Pop (of Torquemag). I hope you&#8217;ll watch.</p>
<p>Check out all the information on the <a href="http://wordsesh.org/">WordSesh</a> website, follow <a href="https://twitter.com/wordsesh">@WordSesh</a> on Twitter, and RSVP if you&#8217;d like to attend. There are already over 600 people signed up. It&#8217;s completely free and community supported. I love this event and I&#8217;m glad to see it happen again.</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, 16 Dec 2014 19:43:10 +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:15:"Brian Krogsgard";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:18;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: Jetpack 3.3 Introduces New Centralized Dashboard for Managing Multiple WordPress Sites";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35724";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:"http://wptavern.com/jetpack-3-3-introduces-new-centralized-dashboard-for-managing-multiple-wordpress-sites";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:3553:"<p>Jetpack 3.3 is now available. The highlight of this release is the new centralized site dashboard feature that allows users to manage multiple Jetpack-connected WordPress sites and WordPress.com sites from one location in WordPress.com.</p>
<p>The new dashboard is mobile friendly and includes the <a href="http://wptavern.com/jetpack-3-2-introduces-centralized-posting-from-wordpress-com" target="_blank">centralized posting feature that was introduced in Jetpack 3.2</a>. It also allows users to see all of their sites listed together and perform a number of housekeeping actions:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Plugin management:</strong> Turn plugins on or off with one click — per site or in bulk.</li>
<li><strong>Initiate plugin updates:</strong> Update plugins for a single site or all sites in bulk.</li>
<li><strong>Automatic updates:</strong> Turn on auto-updates for any plugin on a per-site basis or in bulk.</li>
</ul>
<p>Jetpack 3.3 is required in order to use the plugin management features, so you&#8217;ll need to update at least one of your sites to check it out. You also need to activate Jetpack&#8217;s JSON API feature and ensure that the &#8220;Allow remote actions&#8221; setting is enabled.</p>
<p>To view all the plugins you have installed, visit <a href="https://wordpress.com/plugins" target="_blank">WordPress.com/Plugins</a>. When you click through a plugin, you&#8217;ll find a short description of it and a list of the sites where you have it installed.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/jetpack-plugin-management.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35724]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/jetpack-plugin-management.jpg?resize=980%2C482" alt="jetpack-plugin-management" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35735" /></a></p>
<p>WordPress.com&#8217;s one dashboard to rule them all is now in direct competition with services like <a href="https://managewp.com/" target="_blank">ManageWP</a>, <a href="https://wpremote.com/" target="_blank">WP Remote</a>, <a href="http://infinitewp.com/" target="_blank">InfiniteWP</a>, and several others that provide centralized site management.</p>
<p>As WordPress has become an increasingly popular solution for building websites, developers are often responsible for more sites than they can safely keep track of for updates. Centralized dashboard management is critical for scaling maintenance capabilities. It comes as no surprise that WordPress.com is getting its hook into self-hosted sites by moving to support centralized site management via Jetpack.</p>
<p>In addition to the new centralized dashboard, Jetpack 3.3 also brings many other enhancements to the plugin:</p>
<ul>
<li>Adds responsive video support to BuddyPress</li>
<li>Custom Content Types: Added &#8216;order&#8217; and &#8216;orderby&#8217; options to portfolio shortcode</li>
<li>Display notice when Jetpack Development Mode is on</li>
<li>Compatibility with Twenty Fifteen</li>
<li>Likes: Updated the code to accept arbitrary CPTs</li>
<li>Related Posts: Allow filter by post_format</li>
<li>Sharing: add new jetpack_sharing_counts filter for option to turn off sharing counts</li>
<li>Sharing: Use the Site Logo Theme Tool and the Site Icon as fallbacks for image tags</li>
</ul>
<p>The 3.3 release also adds several filters that allow developers to further customize Jetpack&#8217;s behavior. Check out the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/jetpack/changelog/" target="_blank">changelog</a> for the full list of enhancements and improvements.</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, 16 Dec 2014 18:24:52 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:19;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:97:"WPTavern: 100,000+ WordPress Sites Compromised Using the Slider Revolution Security Vulnerability";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35668";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:105:"http://wptavern.com/100000-wordpress-sites-compromised-using-the-slider-revolution-security-vulnerability";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:3280:"<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/security.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35668]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/security.jpg?resize=1024%2C487" alt="photo credit: Ravages - cc" class="size-full wp-image-27206" /></a>photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ravages/6731739485/">Ravages</a> &#8211; <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
<p>Over the weekend, the security team at Sucuri <a href="http://blog.sucuri.net/2014/12/soaksoak-malware-compromises-100000-wordpress-websites.html" target="_blank">discovered</a> that more than 100,000 WordPress sites have been hit with the SoakSoak.ru malware campaign. This campaign has resulted in more than 11,000 domains being blacklisted by Google.</p>
<p>SoakSoak modifies the wp-includes/template-loader.php file in order to inject Javascript, which contains the malware, into every page on compromised sites. You can check to see if your site is affected by using Sucuri&#8217;s free <a href="http://sitecheck.sucuri.net/" target="_blank">SiteCheck scanner</a>.</p>
<p>After researching the compromised sites, Sucuri found that SoakSoak&#8217;s vehicle of attack is the <a href="http://wptavern.com/critical-security-vulnerability-found-in-wordpress-slider-revolution-plugin-immediate-update-advised" target="_blank">critical security vulnerability that was discovered in the Slider Revolution plugin</a> and made public in September. At that time, Envato identified more than <a href="http://wptavern.com/1000-wordpress-themes-on-envato-market-potentially-affected-by-revolution-slider-security-vulnerability" target="_blank">1,000 themes sold through its marketplace that were potentially affected</a> by this particular vulnerability.</p>
<p>The Slider Revolution issue, though silently patched in February, has been actively exploited since its disclosure. Many WordPress site administrators have not updated their copies of the Slider Revolution plugin to the patched version, leaving their sites open to compromise. Since the plugin is packaged with many themes sold through Themeforest, site owners are not always aware that they are vulnerable.</p>
<p>According to the report from Sucuri, the SoakSoak attack first scans sites to locate the vulnerable file within the Slider Revolution plugin in order to gain access to the wp-config.php file. If successful, the intruder then attempts to upload a malicious theme to the site, followed by injecting the <a href="http://labs.sucuri.net/db/malware/backdoor-phpfilesman02" target="_blank">Filesman backdoor</a> into the website. The attacker then injects another backdoor in order to modify the swfobject.js file to inject malware that redirects visitors to soaksoak.ru.</p>
<p>This malware attack is particularly difficult to clean up after. If your site has been compromised, you cannot simply remove the infected files. The backdoors will also need to be addressed, as well as the Slider Revolution vulnerabilities. Sucuri advises stopping malicious attacks through a firewall. If your site or one of your clients&#8217; sites is using the Slider Revolution plugin, it is imperative that you check to see if you are affected and update your site and plugins immediately.</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, 15 Dec 2014 22:42:26 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:20;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:83:"WPTavern: Pippin Williamson on Building a Community Around Your Open Source Project";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35573";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:93:"http://wptavern.com/pippin-williamson-on-building-a-community-around-your-open-source-project";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:10938:"<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/pippin-williamson.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35573]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/pippin-williamson.jpg?resize=800%2C393" alt="photo credit: inQbation" class="size-full wp-image-35588" /></a>photo credit: <a href="http://www.inqbation.com/photos-of-wordpress-wordcamp-miami-2014/">inQbation</a>
<p>When <a href="https://twitter.com/pippinsplugins" target="_blank">Pippin Williamson</a> launched <a href="https://easydigitaldownloads.com/" target="_blank">Easy Digital Downloads</a> in early 2012, he could not have predicted the success that the open source project is experiencing today. The core plugin is approaching half a million downloads and recently passed 100 <a href="https://github.com/easydigitaldownloads/Easy-Digital-Downloads/graphs/contributors" target="_blank">contributors</a> on GitHub. It provides the foundation for a profitable commercial marketplace of more than 190 extensions authored by the EDD community.</p>
<h3>The Birth of Easy Digital Downloads</h3>
<p>As is the case with many entrepreneurs, Williamson discovered one of his best ideas while solving one of his own problems. He had become an avid plugin developer long before EDD was in the picture. &#8220;I wanted a better way to sell WordPress plugins I was creating through my own site,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I had been using the Code Canyon marketplace from Envato for a while and had toyed with a few of the other e-commerce plugins, but I wanted something a bit different.&#8221; Williamson had no idea that EDD would soon become his full-time job.</p>
<blockquote><p>When a project starts out that way, it&#8217;s really hard to guesstimate what the future holds for it. As I continued building on the plugin and making more generalized features that had a wider audience than just my site, it became apparent pretty quickly that others were looking for some of the same things. The project was started in March and by November of the same year, I really started to consider the prospect of it becoming a full-time job for me.</p></blockquote>
<p>Williamson was inspired by Jigoshop&#8217;s and WooCommerce&#8217;s successes with the &#8220;extensions marketplace&#8221; business model. &#8220;As an outsider, it seemed as though the extensions model was working well for them, so I thought, &#8216;Why not?&#8217; It seemed like a good fit. Early on though I had no idea that we would reach more than 150 extensions in so short a time.&#8221;</p>
<p>He built the first couple of extensions for himself, including the Stripe integration. &#8220;Those first extensions were really the ones that proved building a marketplace around EDD wasn&#8217;t an utterly insane idea. Mostly insane but plausible.&#8221;</p>
<h3>Extensibility Has a Direct Correlation to Profitability</h3>
<p>Easy Digital Downloads is well known for having a codebase that is easy to extend and friendly to developers. Williamson built this into the project out of principle from the early days of EDD, not knowing how vital extensibility would become further down the road.</p>
<p>&#8220;It definitely started as a core philosophy but became a fundamental requirement as the project grew. EDD wouldn&#8217;t be even half as successful as it is now if it weren&#8217;t for the extensibility,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There are still severe pain points in terms of our extensibility, but they are being worked on for future releases. A commitment to always making the plugin more and more extensible is one of the things that has really helped us along the way.&#8221;</p>
<p>Extensibility is the backbone of the EDD marketplace, and it&#8217;s paying off for Williamson and the project as a whole. On an average day, the core EDD plugin sees 400-1000 downloads. &#8220;The revenue of the project has grown consistently since first launching two and a half years ago,&#8221; Williamson said. &#8220;In its first year, we saw steady growth, but nothing amazing by any means. It was enough to tell me there was potential for much, much more.&#8221;</p>
<p>In 2012, Williamson reports that the project pulled in $25,000 in extension sales, with one fifth of this paid out to third party developers for extension sales. Over the course of 2013, EDD grew its monthly revenue from ~$2,000 per month up to nearly $16,000 per month. Williamson finished that year with ~$190,000 in sales and paid out nearly $64,000 in commissions to third party developers.</p>
<p>&#8220;And now, just as we are wrapping up 2014, we have seen more than $456,000 in sales and have generated more than $200,000 in commissions for third party developers,&#8221; Williamson said. &#8220;In 2015 these numbers are expected to grow, just as they have for the last two years. To say we&#8217;re excited for the future would be to put it lightly.&#8221;</p>
<h3>Attracting and Keeping a Community of Contributors</h3>
<p>Without EDD&#8217;s large community of contributors, the project&#8217;s success would have been severely limited. EDD seems to have an organic way of attracting and keeping contributors. Williamson attributes this to three key aspects of the community surrounding the project:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>We work hard to always try and make new contributors few welcome.</strong> No one should ever be told (even indirectly) to go away when they are trying to give back to a project. By being open to criticism and suggestions from the community, and working to ensure the community feels encouraged to speak up, we have gained a lot of long-time contributors, simply because they didn&#8217;t feel like their suggestions were lost in a dark abyss of nothingness or intentionally ignored. When people feel welcomed, they tend to stick around.</li>
<li><strong>Every suggestion gets an answer of some kind. Period.</strong> We strive to never leave a support ticket or github issue unanswered. Even if the answer is &#8220;no&#8221;, we still answer it. When people are ignored, they leave, so we never ignore anyone. Period.</li>
<li><strong>We have actively asked people to help out on the project.</strong> There are tons of people out there ready, willing, and wanting to help; sometimes all it takes is an invitation.</li>
</ul>
<p>Williamson doesn&#8217;t think that any of these efforts are unique to EDD, but they have been the most important factors for growing and keeping a large contributor base. He aims to make sure every single contributor gets an answer to their suggestions, no matter how small the contribution or bug report. &#8220;If someone that is brand new to the project feels they have been ignored, how likely are they to ever come back? I think we see this a lot with WordPress core contributors,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>&#8220;There are hundreds of tickets on trac that have gone unanswered from new contributors, and I suspect a huge percentage of those people have decided to move on and not contribute since they felt ignored. <strong>It doesn&#8217;t matter if someone is actually ignored; it matters that they feel they were ignored.</strong>&#8221;</p>
<p>In order to maintain a good follow-up process, Williamson has streamlined development of the core plugin through its GitHub repository. New contributors who want to get involved with extension or theme development also have access to a private Trello board where they can connect with other developers.</p>
<h3>Advice for New Open Source Project Leaders</h3>
<p>When reflecting on the early days of EDD, Williamson has a few regrets and encourages developers to think about the future when it comes to plugin architecture. &#8220;There is one major architectural change I would make, and that is the use of custom tables for storing data,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>&#8220;We opted out of using custom tables from day one, and that was a mistake. Not properly leveraging custom tables that had the exact database schema that we needed actually made it dramatically more work for us in the long run. We&#8217;ve had to jump through a lot of hoops to build advanced queries for solid store reporting.&#8221;</p>
<p>This mistake has made it difficult to build EDD in a way that will scale the plugin up to a larger user base on larger websites, as needed. Williamson and contributors continue to find ways to deal with it but it is still costing the team a great deal more effort.</p>
<p>On the community aspect of the project, he has a few simple tips for open source project leaders who want to attract a decent base of contributors.</p>
<ul>
<li>Be nice.</li>
<li>Respond to everyone.</li>
<li>Make it publicly known that you want contributions.</li>
<li>Do what you can to make it easy (hint: asking people to email patches is not making it easy.)</li>
<li>Be very open to criticism.</li>
<li>Work hard to build an awesome product, as that alone will attract a certain number of interested in contributors.</li>
</ul>
<p>Holding to these principles has made Easy Digital Downloads a resounding success, as well as an inspirational example for WordPress plugin developers. Williamson hopes to expand operations to include a hosted version of the plugin, but doesn&#8217;t yet have a roadmap for how that will play out.</p>
<p>&#8220;I would like to see a hosted version be available within the next year or two. We haven&#8217;t officially decided if we will offer one or if we will seek partnering with an agency or other group, but I&#8217;d love to see it come about,&#8221; he said. If he&#8217;s able to launch a hosted version, Williamson will have the opportunity to tap into a whole new demographic of customers, many of whom are likely not developers.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve never run a hosted service before so it will be a whole new experience for me with a whole new set of challenges,&#8221; he said. Williamson counts the strong EDD community as one of his assets in pursuing this new venture:</p>
<blockquote><p>One advantage that I feel we will have, however, is the rapid development pace that having a strong community of contributors affords us. As we iterate quickly on the self-hosted version, those same changes will be able to be applied to a hosted version. It will also be able to go in reverse: as we test out new features in a hosted version, we can apply those same changes upstream to the self-hosted version. Much like WordPress.org and WordPress.com.</p></blockquote>
<p>With a large number of people building extensions for the project, and a regular stream of contributions and bug fixes, Williamson and EDD are uniquely prepared to support a hosted version. The success of <a href="https://easydigitaldownloads.com/" target="_blank">Easy Digital Downloads</a> demonstrates the value of building a strong community around your open source project. With the right cultivation and a healthy community, any quality project can become more profitable and prepared for the future.</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, 15 Dec 2014 20:19:23 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:21;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:78:"WPTavern: The Majority of Shark Tank Contestants Use WordPress and WooCommerce";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35540";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:88:"http://wptavern.com/the-majority-of-shark-tank-contestants-use-wordpress-and-woocommerce";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:2055:"<p>Have you ever wondered what CMS and eCommerce system <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_Tank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_Tank">Shark Tank</a> contestants use? WP Engine used <a title="http://builtwith.com/" href="http://builtwith.com/">BuiltWith</a> and <a title="http://wpengine.com/2014/12/03/shark-tank-cms-infographic/" href="http://wpengine.com/2014/12/03/shark-tank-cms-infographic/">looked at the websites</a> of each contestant appearing on the show between seasons 1-5. They also manually investigated each site to determine some of the more complex setups. Factors WP Engine looked for include: if the site was still active, site-wide SSL implementation, and what kind of eCommerce solutions are being used. Here are a few highlights from the infographic.</p>
<p>WordPress is the most popular platform, followed by Shopify and Magento. One of the most disappointing discoveries is that out of 341 websites, only 39 have SSL support. SSL is important because it provides a level of encryption between you and the server. It also protects customer information which is extremely important if you&#8217;re going to sell things online.</p>
<p>For over a year, Magento was the eCommerce system of choice, but it&#8217;s now in second place. WooCommerce is now the most popular eCommerce system used by Shark Tank contestants. This makes sense since WordPress is the most popular platform and WooCommere is built to be used with WordPress.</p>
<p>Check out the rest of the data in the image below and let us know if any of the data surprises you. The image is over 1mb in size so it might take a little while to load.</p>
<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/WPEngine_SharkTank_Infographic-V2.png" rel="prettyphoto[35540]"><img class="wp-image-35639 size-full" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/WPEngine_SharkTank_Infographic-V2.png?resize=1025%2C7993" alt="WPEngine Shark Tank Infographic" /></a>Infographic Created By <a href="http://www.wpengine.com">WP Engine</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, 15 Dec 2014 20:15:09 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:22;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:56:"WPTavern: Google Earth API to Retire December 12th, 2015";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35615";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:65:"http://wptavern.com/google-earth-api-to-retire-december-12th-2015";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:2380:"<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/GoogleEarthAPIFeaturedImage.png" rel="prettyphoto[35615]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35621" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/GoogleEarthAPIFeaturedImage.png?resize=634%2C211" alt="Google Earth API Featured Image" /></a>photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/21177199@N03/2567692977/">Ludovico Cera</a> &#8211; <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
<p>For over six years, the <a title="https://developers.google.com/earth/documentation/index" href="https://developers.google.com/earth/documentation/index">Google Earth API</a> has enabled countless developers to build 3D mapping applications in the browser. Those days are over as Google <a title="http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2014/12/announcing-deprecation-of-google-earth.html" href="http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2014/12/announcing-deprecation-of-google-earth.html">announced on its developer blog</a> that the API is deprecated and will officially retire December 12th, 2015.</p>
<p>The Google Earth API is built on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPAPI">NPAPI plugin framework</a> which <a title="http://blog.chromium.org/2014/11/the-final-countdown-for-npapi.html" href="http://blog.chromium.org/2014/11/the-final-countdown-for-npapi.html">Chrome</a> and <a title="https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2014/02/28/update-on-plugin-activation/" href="https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2014/02/28/update-on-plugin-activation/">Firefox</a> no longer support due to security reasons. Over the past six years, the API has experienced dwindling support across multiple platforms, especially on mobile. It&#8217;s worth noting that Google Earth is not going away; only its API is being retired.</p>
<p>A <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/search.php?q=google+earth" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/search.php?q=google+earth">quick search</a> of the WordPress plugin directory for Google Earth shows at least three pages of results. However, several of the plugins look like they use Google Maps instead of Google Earth. If using an external API, most authors put the information in the plugin&#8217;s description. If you&#8217;re using a plugin that uses the API, please get in touch with the author and let them know it&#8217;s no longer supported.</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, 15 Dec 2014 18:33:05 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:23;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:85:"WPTavern: BuddyPress, bbPress, and GlotPress Development Campaign is Now Fully Funded";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=34940";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:93:"http://wptavern.com/buddypress-bbpress-and-glotpress-development-campaign-is-now-fully-funded";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:4263:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/jjj.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[34940]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/jjj.jpg?resize=1025%2C499" alt="jjj" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33407" /></a></p>
<p>John James Jacoby&#8217;s crowd-funding <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/buddypress-bbpress-glotpress-development#home" target="_blank">campaign for development on WordPress&#8217; sister projects</a> is now closed and fully funded at $51,500. For the first six months of 2015, he will be working full-time to push the BuddyPress, bbPress, and GlotPress projects forward.</p>
<p>Jacoby is essentially pioneering a new way of working as an open source developer funded by the community. There&#8217;s no prescription for how to tackle each project&#8217;s goals, but working remotely in the past has uniquely prepared him for this opportunity.</p>
<p>&#8220;Previous experience working mostly independently and remotely certainly doesn&#8217;t hurt, particularly for things like consistent communication and maintaining momentum,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It will be nice to get back into the swing of posting public status updates and more strictly planning out my days and weeks again. I appreciate the freedom I&#8217;ve had since July, but being completely without structure can be risky, too.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jacoby anticipates splitting his time equally between BuddyPress, bbPress, and GlotPress. &#8220;In my imagination, fairly evenly in priority order for a few of the long standing issues that have been prohibiting enhancements to WordPress.org, specifically for the Rosetta sites,&#8221; he said. &#8220;GlotPress will require a little more time for me to start being helpful, so I&#8217;ll likely try to focus on the BuddyPress and bbPress queue first.&#8221;</p>
<p>What will a typical day look like for Jacoby when he starts working full-time on the sister projects? He plans to be involved in every aspect, from writing code to mentoring to adding codex contributions.</p>
<blockquote><p>I think a typical day will look like a cup of coffee, reading Trac and Slack, providing feedback and mentorship, and shepherding as much activity as I can. That might mean committing patches and doing feature development, increasing unit test coverage and working on the codex, or helping with tools to enable others to contribute easier. There is no shortage of things to do, and I&#8217;ll be looking at ways to multiply my efforts to get the maximum value out of the time I have.</p></blockquote>
<p>If the development project is successful, other developers may be inspired to create similar campaigns. Jacoby isn&#8217;t the only one with the capability to make a strong impact on these projects. He believes that there are many others who would be able to do that same.</p>
<blockquote><p>I really hope people look at this campaign as something they can try, too. Stephen Edgar has been absolutely killing it all across .org, so removing that barrier for him is a priority of mine. Mathieu Viet keeps putting out comprehensive BuddyPress concepts that could make their way into core with just a bit more free time and focus. Ryan McCue already volunteers a huge amount of time; imagine if he was 100% focused. </p>
<p>Matt Gross (currently at 10up) is such a fast learner and can really crank stuff out quickly. Alison Barrett (also currently at 10up) is the same way; crazy fast at learning and implementing new things. I&#8217;d love to work with either of them on the bb&#8217;s again. A few of these individuals may not require outside funding, but it&#8217;s an interesting idea to use it as an option to reduce an employer&#8217;s monetary burden.</p></blockquote>
<p>Working full-time on open source community projects without distraction, while still paying the bills, is a rare opportunity that Jacoby intends to maximize. If all goes as planned, the first half of 2015 will bring about the removal of the projects&#8217; most pressing hindrances. The success of Jacoby&#8217;s campaign demonstrates that the WordPress community believes in the potential of BuddyPress, bbPress, and GlotPress enough to invest in a trustworthy developer to make dedicated improvements.</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:"Fri, 12 Dec 2014 22:01:29 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:24;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:39:"WPTavern: A Newbie’s Guide to bbPress";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35431";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:46:"http://wptavern.com/a-newbies-guide-to-bbpress";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:7392:"<p>If you&#8217;re brand new to <a title="http://bbpress.org/" href="http://bbpress.org/">bbPress</a>, you may not know about some of the ways it can be extended beyond being a simple forum. Additional functionality can be added with plugins, its output can be manipulated through CSS, and development is easy to keep up with. Even though bbPress has a <a title="https://codex.bbpress.org/getting-started-with-bbpress/" href="https://codex.bbpress.org/getting-started-with-bbpress/">getting started</a> guide available, I came up with my own mini guide. Here are some tips to get you started on building a bbPress forum.</p>
<h2>Where to Find Plugins</h2>
<p>bbPress is a plugin that was designed to be extended by other plugins. Once installed and configured, simply browse the plugin directory from the backend of WordPress and search for bbPress. There are at least 314 plugins that show up in the search results, not including the ones hosted on Github.</p>
<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressPlugins.png" rel="prettyphoto[35431]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35455" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressPlugins.png?resize=1025%2C526" alt="bbPress Plugins in The WordPress Plugin Directory" /></a>bbPress Plugins in The WordPress Plugin Directory
<p>Even though bbPress.org has a <a title="https://bbpress.org/plugins/" href="https://bbpress.org/plugins/">section dedicated to plugins</a>, it&#8217;s essentially an alternative to browsing the WordPress plugin directory. Instead of being able to view all of the plugins available, the pages only list bbPress specific plugins.</p>
<p>Similar to WordPress, bbPress <a title="http://codex.bbpress.org/feature-plugins-tracking/" href="http://codex.bbpress.org/feature-plugins-tracking/">has a list of feature plugins</a> that may one day, be merged into core. The list contains plugins that offer features found in most forum software out of the box, so it&#8217;s a good place to start when adding features. Pay close attention to the <strong>Last Updated:</strong> information as I encountered a lot of plugins that haven&#8217;t been updated in over 2 years.</p>
<h2>Altering The Look and Feel</h2>
<p>bbPress comes with built-in theme support where all required elements such as front-end editing are included. If a WordPress theme doesn&#8217;t have support for the various elements that make up bbPress, you&#8217;ll still be able to use it. The built-in support makes it compatible with nearly every WordPress theme. However, I strongly encourage you to use a theme that is bbPress compatible as it almost always looks better than the default.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressCompatibleThemes.png" rel="prettyphoto[35431]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35467" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressCompatibleThemes.png?resize=1025%2C810" alt="Free bbPress Compatible Themes" /></a>Free bbPress Compatible Themes
<p>A <a title="https://wordpress.org/themes/search.php?q=bbPress" href="https://wordpress.org/themes/search.php?q=bbPress">search of the theme directory</a> indicates four pages of free WordPress themes that are explicitly compatible with bbPress. If you&#8217;d simply like to override the default markup to give it a custom look, check out <a title="https://codex.bbpress.org/theme-compatibility/" href="https://codex.bbpress.org/theme-compatibility/">this Codex article</a>.</p>
<h2>How to Keep up With Development</h2>
<p>While WordPress releases three major versions a year, bbPress averages two a year. So far in 2014, there have been no major versions released. Compared to WordPress, bbPress development occurs at a slower pace due to a smaller number of people contributing and spending time on the project. Not only does this make it easy to keep up with changes, it increases the opportunity to influence the project.</p>
<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressDevelopment.png" rel="prettyphoto[35431]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35469" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressDevelopment.png?resize=946%2C691" alt="bbPress Development" /></a>bbPress Development
<p>bbPress uses <a title="https://bbpress.trac.wordpress.org/timeline" href="https://bbpress.trac.wordpress.org/timeline">Trac for development</a> where user&#8217;s can submit bug reports and patches. If you use <a title="https://slack.com/" href="https://slack.com/">Slack</a>, you can join the #bbPress channel where core developers and contributors hang out. This is a great way to get in touch with people and communicate in real-time.</p>
<h2>Where to Get Support</h2>
<p>The best way to get support is through the official <a title="https://bbpress.org/forums/" href="https://bbpress.org/forums/">bbPress forum</a>. While not as active as the WordPress support forum, there&#8217;s still a good amount of activity that takes place. It&#8217;s also monitored by all of the core developers.</p>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressSupport.png" rel="prettyphoto[35431]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35517" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressSupport.png?resize=986%2C575" alt="bbPress Support Forum" /></a>bbPress Support Forum
<p>The bbPress support forums follow the same rules and guidelines set forth by the WordPress support forums. There are two documents you should read to familiarize yourself to how it works. <a href="https://codex.wordpress.org/Using_the_Support_Forums">Using the Support Forum</a> and the <a href="https://codex.wordpress.org/Forum_Welcome">Forum Welcome message</a>.</p>
<h2>bbPress Nomenclature</h2>
<p>bbPress has a set of nomenclature that is different from forum software you may have used in the past. This small guide explains what each term means.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Forums</strong> – Are segments of the main forum similar to categories.</li>
<li><strong>Topics</strong> – Topics are created within forums, they are the issues that are being discussed.</li>
<li><strong>Replies</strong> – Replies are made to topics, this is the actual discussion.</li>
<li><strong>Voices</strong> &#8211; Voices represent the number of individuals participating in a conversation</li>
</ul>
<h2>The Next Six Months</h2>
<p>Although development has come to a crawl in recent months, it&#8217;s encouraging that John James Jacoby <a title="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/buddypress-bbpress-glotpress-development" href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/buddypress-bbpress-glotpress-development">successfully reached his crowd funding goal</a> as bbPress will likely experience a surge in development and community based contributions over the next six months. Hopefully, the next six months are among the project&#8217;s brightest.</p>
<h2>Codex Volunteer</h2>
<p>The documentation and organization of documents on the bbPress.org website leaves a lot to be desired. Several links point to placeholders or the incorrect pages. I&#8217;m working with the team as a Codex volunteer to try to clean up the mess so others can benefit by finding the information they need.</p>
<p>This guide is a Cliff’s Notes version of what&#8217;s available on bbPress.org. I hope it helps you as it did me when putting it together.</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:"Fri, 12 Dec 2014 20:32:22 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:25;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: Variable VVV: A New VVV Site Creation Wizard for 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:28:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35501";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:"http://wptavern.com/variable-vvv-a-new-vvv-site-creation-wizard-for-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:4804:"<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/vagrant.png" rel="prettyphoto[35501]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/vagrant.png?resize=1025%2C463" alt="vagrant" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-21435" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://bradparbs.com/" target="_blank">Brad Parbs</a> and his colleagues at <a href="http://webdevstudios.com/" target="_blank">WebDevStudios</a> have created a new tool for the thousands of developers out there who utilize <a href="https://github.com/Varying-Vagrant-Vagrants/VVV" target="_blank">Varying Vagrant Vagrants</a> for WordPress development. As Vagrant development environments are a daily staple of work life at WDS, the team needed a faster way for setting up new WordPress sites with VVV.</p>
<p><a href="https://github.com/bradp/vv" target="_blank">Variable VVV</a> is their solution, a script that automates the creation and deletion of new WordPress sites using VVV. The script is based on Alison Barrett&#8217;s <a href="http://wptavern.com/vvv-site-wizard-automates-the-creation-and-deletion-of-wordpress-development-sites" target="_blank">VVV Site Wizard</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;The original site wizard hasn&#8217;t been updated in about half a year. I&#8217;ve designed this to be a drop-in replacement,&#8221; Parbs told the Tavern. &#8220;All the flags and commands from vvv-site-wizard function 100% the same, so you can just install this and start using it exactly the same.&#8221; Anyone who has used the VVV Site Wizard in the past will be comfortable using Variable VVV right away.</p>
<p>The new script has a few additional features beyond the original VVV Site Wizard, including the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>The ability to pass vagrant command through to VVV</li>
<li>An easier way to set your VVV installation path</li>
<li>The ability to clone a git-repo as wp-content</li>
<li>The ability to set more installation options</li>
</ul>
<p>While creating the script, Parbs went through the issues list at the vvv-site-wizard repository and fixed a number of issues. He sees Variable VVV as the spiritual successor to the original tool and has designed it to be a bit easier to use. He noted that it takes just 1/3 the time to type the commands and the command results have also been vastly improved. &#8220;One example is the <code>list</code> command to show you all sites. With vvv-site-wizard, it is a plain list of site names. <code>vv list</code> will show you a colorized output, along with URLs and marking VVV defaults,&#8221; Parbs explained.</p>
<p>The WebDevStudios team has an extensive roadmap of features for future implementation. Parbs is most excited about the idea of &#8220;blueprints,&#8221; which would offer the ability to install themes and plugins while setting up a new site.</p>
<blockquote><p>A blueprint would define a list of plugins, themes, mu-plugins, and various site options. When installing, you could grab that blueprint and it would set it all up. I&#8217;m planning on letting you grab from Github, WP.org, a zip file link, etc. I&#8217;ve <a href="https://github.com/bradp/vv/issues/5" target="_blank">outlined the idea</a> on GitHub. You&#8217;d setup multiple blueprints, and when you do an install, you could grab a blueprint and use that. For example, an &#8216;ecommerce&#8217; blueprint might install WooCommerce, some other plugins, and _s, or whatever you like.</p></blockquote>
<p>As the VVV Site Wizard doesn&#8217;t seem to be maintained anymore, Parbs plans to keep Variable VVV going and has also outlined a number of other enhancements in the project&#8217;s <a href="https://github.com/bradp/vv/issues" target="_blank">issues queue</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Enable vv to auto-update itself</li>
<li>Add deployment capability</li>
<li>Delete site database during removal</li>
<li>Add option to add dummy content when creating site</li>
<li>Allow overriding of /htdocs install location</li>
</ul>
<p>Parbs plans to add anything that will make developers&#8217; lives easier at WebDevStudios, but he is also open to suggestions. &#8220;I&#8217;ve built the script to be extremely easy to add new functionality, so implementing features people request will be as easy as possible,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>The script is now ready for public use. &#8220;Over the past few days, a few people here at WebDevStudios have been beta-testing it, and its really solid,&#8221; Parbs said. <a href="https://github.com/bradp/vv" target="_blank">Variable VVV</a> is now publicly available on GitHub for anyone who wants to use it or contribute back to the project. If you test the script, make sure to leave your feedback and suggestions in the project&#8217;s issues list, as WebDevStudios plans to consistently maintain and extend the tool to make it better.</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:"Fri, 12 Dec 2014 19:47:27 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:26;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:77:"WPTavern: Idea Factory: A Frontend Submission and Voting System for 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:28:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35416";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:"http://wptavern.com/idea-factory-a-frontend-submission-and-voting-system-for-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:4173:"<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/idea-factory.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35416]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/idea-factory.jpg?resize=631%2C300" alt="idea-factory" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35420" /></a></p>
<p>One of the oldest and simplest ways of accessing public opinion is through an up/down voting system. When offered in a controlled setting where everyone has the chance to vote, the system causes the best ideas to float to the top.</p>
<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/idea-factory/" target="_blank">Idea Factory</a> is a plugin designed to make it easy for WordPress administrators to set up a voting system where users can submit new ideas from the frontend. The plugin was created by <a href="http://nickhaskins.co/" target="_blank">Nick Haskins</a>, author of the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/aesop-story-engine/" target="_blank">Aesop Story Engine</a>.</p>
<p><strong>&#8220;Idea Factory was born out of necessity, and the frustration of the lack of plugins that did exactly what I wanted it to do,&#8221;</strong> Haskins wrote in the plugin&#8217;s description. His implementation is simple but built to be extensible, offering developers a number of <a href="https://github.com/bearded-avenger/idea-factory/wiki" target="_blank">filters, hooks, and actions</a>. Idea Factory features the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>AJAX powered front-end submission and voting</li>
<li>Voting is limited to logged-in users</li>
<li>1 vote allowed per user per idea</li>
<li>Emails the admin with notification of a new submission</li>
<li>Extensible with hooks and actions on events</li>
<li>More ideas loaded with AJAX on front-end</li>
<li>Mobile friendly</li>
</ul>
<p>Logged-in users can enter new ideas via a modal submission box. The plugin creates an Idea custom post type and data is stored in post_meta and user_meta tables.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/idea-submit.png" rel="prettyphoto[35416]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/idea-submit.png?resize=900%2C783" alt="idea-submit" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35452" /></a></p>
<p>Ideas are displayed at yoursite.com/ideas. Users can only vote once on each idea before they are locked out. Up votes push ideas to the top and down votes send ideas further down the list.</p>
<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ideas.png" rel="prettyphoto[35416]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ideas.png?resize=1025%2C537" alt="ideas" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35432" /></a></p>
<p>The design is generic enough to drop nicely into any theme, but you can further customize it by copying the file from the plugin&#8217;s /template-ideas/ directory into your theme. Idea Factory&#8217;s settings also allow you to disable the core CSS file from loading so that you can take full control.</p>
<p>Each idea and its description can be edited in the admin. If you have a highly active voting board, you may want to turn off email notifications for new submissions. The settings also include an option to hold all new ideas as drafts to be approved before publishing.</p>
<p>After testing Idea Factory, I was impressed with how easy it was to set up and use. Both idea creation and voting are anonymous, but it might be nice to have an option to display users for each. However, one of the best things about Idea Factory is that it maintains a limited set of features in favor of keeping the plugin lean and extensible.</p>
<p>An idea voting system can help community managers or developers get a better idea of where to invest their time and how to prioritize new features. It&#8217;s a quick way to take the temperature of your user base, because it allows them to freely express their ideas and participate in voting up the best ones. It&#8217;s also far less time-consuming than conducting a survey. Check out <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/idea-factory/" target="_blank">Idea Factory on WordPress.org</a> for a solid, simple way to bring new ideas to light.</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:"Fri, 12 Dec 2014 07:03:18 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:27;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:73:"WPTavern: WPWeekly Episode 174 – What Would it Take to Lose The Throne?";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:44:"http://wptavern.com?p=35424&preview_id=35424";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:78:"http://wptavern.com/wpweekly-episode-174-what-would-it-take-to-lose-the-throne";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:3205:"<p>In this episode of WordPress Weekly, <a href="http://marcuscouch.com/" title="http://marcuscouch.com/">Marcus Couch</a> and I discuss what it would take for WordPress to lose its dominant market share position. We both agree that WordPress isn&#8217;t going anywhere soon but it&#8217;s something to be mindful of.</p>
<p>We share our thoughts on the recommended plugins tab coming in WordPress 4.1 and whether or not it will help users discover new plugins. Last but not least, we discuss Google&#8217;s attempt to simplify reCAPTCHAs by replacing distorted text with a check box.</p>
<h2>Stories Discussed:</h2>
<p><a href="http://wptavern.com/what-would-it-take-for-wordpress-to-lose-its-dominance" title="http://wptavern.com/what-would-it-take-for-wordpress-to-lose-its-dominance">What Would it Take For WordPress to Lose its Dominance?</a><br />
<a href="http://wptavern.com/googles-new-recaptcha-api-replaces-distorted-text-with-a-checkbox" title="http://wptavern.com/googles-new-recaptcha-api-replaces-distorted-text-with-a-checkbox">Google’s New reCAPTCHA API Replaces Distorted Text with a Checkbox</a><br />
<a href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-1-to-introduce-plugin-recommendations" title="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-1-to-introduce-plugin-recommendations">WordPress 4.1 To Introduce Plugin Recommendations</a><br />
<a href="http://wptavern.com/nrelate-will-shutdown-its-service-december-31st" title="http://wptavern.com/nrelate-will-shutdown-its-service-december-31st">nRelate Will Shutdown Its Service December 31st</a><br />
<a href="http://wptavern.com/manage-multiple-wordpress-sites-with-wpdash-now-in-beta" title="http://wptavern.com/manage-multiple-wordpress-sites-with-wpdash-now-in-beta">Manage Multiple WordPress Sites with WPDASH, Now in Beta</a></p>
<h2>Plugins Picked By Marcus:</h2>
<p><a href="http://storyftw.com/" title="http://storyftw.com/">StoryFTW</a> by Patrick Shanahan, is a simple swipe based story engine that allows you to use any kind of media imaginable to create your own dynamic slide by slide story. The review is based on an Alpha copy as the plugin is not publicly available yet.</p>
<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/test-user-role/" title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/test-user-role/">Test User Role</a> allows you to quickly test other user roles from a super admin account to see what other users experience.</p>
<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/grid/" title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/grid/">Grid</a> is a container based landing page editor.</p>
<h2>WPWeekly Meta:</h2>
<p><strong>Next Episode:</strong> Wednesday, December 17th 9:30 P.M. Eastern</p>
<p><strong>Subscribe To WPWeekly Via Itunes: </strong><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wordpress-weekly/id694849738" target="_blank">Click here to subscribe</a></p>
<p><strong>Subscribe To WPWeekly Via RSS: </strong><a href="http://www.wptavern.com/feed/podcast" target="_blank">Click here to subscribe</a></p>
<p><strong>Subscribe To WPWeekly Via Stitcher Radio: </strong><a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/wordpress-weekly-podcast?refid=stpr" target="_blank">Click here to subscribe</a></p>
<p><strong>Listen To Episode #174:</strong><br />
</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, 11 Dec 2014 21:13:21 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:28;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:"Akismet: Akismet 3.0.4 Plugin for WordPress Released";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:31:"http://blog.akismet.com/?p=1750";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:59:"http://blog.akismet.com/2014/12/11/akismet-3-0-4-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:1113:"<p>Version 3.0.4 of <a href="http://wordpress.org/plugins/akismet/">the Akismet plugin for WordPress</a> is now available.</p>
<p>This update adds better compatibility with Apache 2.4, allows <code>https</code> author URLs to be removed from comments, removes the &#8220;Check for Spam&#8221; button from the &#8220;Trash&#8221; and &#8220;Approved&#8221; queues, and allows for automatic API key configuration when Jetpack is installed and connected to a WordPress.com account.</p>
<p>To upgrade, visit the Updates page of your WordPress dashboard and follow the instructions. If you need to download the plugin zip file directly, links to all versions are available in <a href="http://wordpress.org/plugins/akismet/">the WordPress plugins directory</a>.</p><br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/akismet.wordpress.com/1750/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/akismet.wordpress.com/1750/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=blog.akismet.com&blog=116920&post=1750&subd=akismet&ref=&feed=1" width="1" height="1" />";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, 11 Dec 2014 18:44:23 +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:17:"Christopher Finke";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:29;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:84:"WPTavern: WordPress Themes Directory Now Requires All Themes to be Translation-Ready";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35363";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:94:"http://wptavern.com/wordpress-themes-directory-now-requires-all-themes-to-be-translation-ready";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:4048:"<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/globe.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35363]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/globe.jpg?resize=1024%2C499" alt="photo credit: . Entrer dans le rêve - cc" class="size-full wp-image-29134" /></a>photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tranbina/4765484383/">. Entrer dans le rêve</a> &#8211; <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
<p>WordPress made great strides in 2014 towards improving internationalization for the global community. <a href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-0-benny-now-available-for-download" target="_blank">WordPress 4.0</a> streamlined language management in the admin and brought language selection to the installation process.</p>
<p>In the <a href="http://wptavern.com/matt-mullenwegs-state-of-the-word-highlights-internationalization-mobile-and-new-tools-for-wordpress-contributors" target="_blank">State of the Word</a> address this year, Matt Mullenweg highlighted the importance of internationalization to the project when he said, <strong>“If WordPress is going to be truly global, truly inclusive, it has to be fully available for other languages.&#8221;</strong> He also announced that fully localized plugin and theme directories will be available in the admin as of 4.1.</p>
<p>This week the WordPress Theme Review Team <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2014/12/09/theme-review-team-weekly-notes-the-logs-are-3/" target="_blank">updated its guidelines</a> to require all new theme submissions to be translation-ready. Theme authors submitting new themes to the official directory must ensure that all text strings are translatable. This also applies to any updates to existing themes.</p>
<h3>Tips for Making Your Theme Translation-Ready</h3>
<p>The WordPress Theme Review Handbook doesn&#8217;t yet contain a section with information about preparing themes for translation. However, you can find all the basics on <a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/functionality/internationalization/" target="_blank">how to internationalize a theme</a> in the WordPress Theme Developer Handbook, which is still a work in progress.</p>
<p>The internationalization section also links to a number of videos and tutorials in its resources section. Many of these will be helpful in walking theme developers through the process of preparing themes for translation:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/html_node/" target="_blank">GNU gettext utilities</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJfqgrzjEis" target="_blank">i18n: Preparing Your WordPress Theme for the World</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wordpress.tv/2014/02/26/samuel-otto-wood-on-internationalization-plugins-and-themes-for-the-whole-world/" target="_blank">Samuel “Otto” Wood: On Internationalization: Plugins and Themes for the Whole World</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pippinsplugins.com/use-wp_localize_script-it-is-awesome/" target="_blank">Use wp_localize_script, It Is Awesome</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wordpress.tv/2009/11/14/ze-fontainhas-i18n-nyc09/" target="_blank">Zé Fontainhas: Lost in Translation—i18n and WordPress</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ottopress.com/2012/internationalization-youre-probably-doing-it-wrong/" target="_blank">Internationalization: You’re Probably Doing It Wrong</a></li>
</ul>
<p>If a WordPress theme isn&#8217;t translatable, then the site it is running on is limited to the theme author&#8217;s language. If you invest your time and hard work into creating a WordPress theme, why not make sure that it&#8217;s able to be used all over the world?</p>
<p>The new requirement from the Theme Review team is a major milestone in expanding WordPress&#8217; global reach. The official themes directory is often the first place that self-hosted WordPress users look when shopping for themes. The new translation-ready requirement will help ensure that WordPress.org&#8217;s vast library of themes are ready for global use.</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, 11 Dec 2014 18:34:09 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:30;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:64:"WPTavern: A New User’s Experience Installing and Using bbPress";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35320";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:71:"http://wptavern.com/a-new-users-experience-installing-and-using-bbpress";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:8214:"<p>bbPress is a <a title="https://bbpress.org/about/the-story/" href="https://bbpress.org/about/the-story/">10 year old project</a> that&#8217;s supposed to make it easy to attach a forum to WordPress. On the day after Christmas in 2004, Matt Mullenweg spent an entire weekend coding an alternative to <a title="http://minibb.net/" href="http://minibb.net/">miniBB</a>, from the ground up that at the time, powered the WordPress support forums. bbPress was stand-alone software until 2011, when the <a title="http://wptavern.com/bbpress-2-0-stable-now-available" href="http://wptavern.com/bbpress-2-0-stable-now-available">release of 2.0</a> transformed it into a WordPress plugin,</p>
<p>Over the years, I&#8217;ve kept a close eye on bbPress but I&#8217;ve never used it for a project of my own. Since I&#8217;m only a new user once, I decided to document my experience of configuring and using it for the first time.</p>
<h2>Activation and Configuration</h2>
<p>Locating bbPress is easy as it usually shows up as a Featured Plugin on the Add New plugin screen. Once activated, a welcome screen displays information on what&#8217;s new, credits, and a link at the bottom to visit the forum settings.</p>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressActivated.png" rel="prettyphoto[35320]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35359" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressActivated.png?resize=1025%2C697" alt="bbPress Welcome Screen After Activation" /></a>bbPress Welcome Screen After Activation
<p>When visiting the forum settings screen, I&#8217;m presented with a list of options with checkboxes and numbers. While there are not a lot of things to configure, I think a better presentation of the various options would be to split each major section into a tab of its own. Although it was my choice to visit the forum settings from the Welcome screen, I think the Welcome screen is a good place to use Admin Pointers to help new users create a new topic, forum, etc. I don&#8217;t understand why the Welcome screen has a link to forum settings since a new install won&#8217;t have anything to configure.</p>
<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressOptions.png" rel="prettyphoto[35320]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35360" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressOptions.png?resize=765%2C888" alt="bbPress Forum Settings Screen" /></a>bbPress Forum Settings Screen
<p>While on the forum settings screen, I&#8217;m not sure what it is I&#8217;m supposed to configure in order for the forum to display on the frontend. At this point, I visit the <a title="http://codex.bbpress.org/" href="http://codex.bbpress.org/">Documentation section</a> of bbPress.org and locate a <a title="https://codex.bbpress.org/getting-started/" href="https://codex.bbpress.org/getting-started/">Getting Started</a> guide. It turns out, the guide is of no use to me or anyone else for that matter.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/GettingStartedToNowhere.png" rel="prettyphoto[35320]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35361" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/GettingStartedToNowhere.png?resize=986%2C499" alt="Getting Started To Nowhere" /></a>Getting Started To Nowhere
<p>The left hand sidebar has a list of related links which point to several different articles on user roles, conditional tags, and functions. It took some effort on my part, but I finally found the article on <a title="https://codex.bbpress.org/getting-started-with-bbpress/" href="https://codex.bbpress.org/getting-started-with-bbpress/">Getting Started with bbPress</a>. This page should be linked to from the <a title="http://codex.bbpress.org/" href="http://codex.bbpress.org/">Documentation main page</a> for the Getting Started link. This simple change will save users time and frustration.</p>
<h2>Creating Forums</h2>
<p>Using the Getting Started guide, I created my first forum. Since forums are Custom Post Types, the forum editor looks similar to the Post Editor. It would be nice if hints displayed above each field so users understand which part of the forum they&#8217;re connected to. For example, the title field should have a hint that says &#8220;Name of the forum&#8221; and above the editor, text that says, &#8220;A description of the forum&#8221;. Some of the items on the Forum creation screen make sense but it shouldn&#8217;t be assumed the user knows what each field corresponds to.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/CreatingAForumInbbPress.png" rel="prettyphoto[35320]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35362" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/CreatingAForumInbbPress.png?resize=889%2C584" alt="Creating a Forum in bbPress" /></a>Creating a Forum in bbPress
<p>There are two different types of forums, <strong>forum</strong> and <strong>category</strong>. Forums contain topics and can be the parent of other forums. Categories can only contain forums and are primarily used as a method of organization. The nomenclature used is enough to make anyone&#8217;s head spin.</p>
<h2>Creating Topics</h2>
<p>After creating a forum, I moved on to create a topic. Topics are similar to typical forum posts. Topics are one of the three <a title="https://codex.wordpress.org/Post_Types#Custom_Types" href="https://codex.wordpress.org/Post_Types#Custom_Types">Custom Post Types </a>created by bbPress, which means the Topic editor uses the same interface you&#8217;d see when writing a post. Similar to creating forums, I&#8217;d like to see the fields labeled for consistency. Creating topics from the backend of WordPress is fairly easy after creating the first forum.</p>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressTopicCreated.png" rel="prettyphoto[35320]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35365" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bbPressTopicCreated.png?resize=898%2C668" alt="bbPress Topic Created From The Backend of WordPress" /></a>bbPress Topic Created From The Backend of WordPress
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>The Frontend of bbPress</h2>
<p>Everything up to this point has been managed from the backend of WordPress. I&#8217;ve created a category, forum, and topic. It&#8217;s time to see how bbPress works on the frontend. Replying to a topic is straight forward. A form is supplied with quick tag support so visitors can easily style text. After hitting the submit button, the page reloads and the reply is shown. Sometimes, replies don&#8217;t show up immediately because they&#8217;re moderated by Akismet.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ReplyingToATopic.png" rel="prettyphoto[35320]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35368" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ReplyingToATopic.png?resize=684%2C795" alt="Replying to a Topic on The Frontend of bbPress" /></a>Replying to a Topic on The Frontend of bbPress
<p>Once I got a handle for how bbPress is structured and what categories, forums, topics, and replies look like, I went back to the Forum Settings page.</p>
<h2>Not Easy Enough</h2>
<p>bbPress is a plugin, and because of that, I expect to be able to turn it on and have everything ready to go. As you can see from my experience, it doesn&#8217;t always work out that way, especially when using a theme that doesn&#8217;t support it out of the box. The <a title="https://codex.bbpress.org/getting-started-with-bbpress/" href="https://codex.bbpress.org/getting-started-with-bbpress/">Getting Started</a> guide is important information on understanding how to configure bbPress. Without it, I&#8217;d be lost in the dark.</p>
<p>My initial experience is rough around the edges and at times frustrating, as I couldn&#8217;t easily find the help I needed. I can only imagine how many others have gone through the same experience. Hopefully, a few changes will be made to bbPress and its website to create a smoother new user experience.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;ve recently installed or used bbPress for the first time, tell us about your experience in the comments.</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, 11 Dec 2014 04:52:15 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:31;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: Change Post Types with the Post Type Switcher Plugin for 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:28:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35093";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:"http://wptavern.com/change-post-types-with-the-post-type-switcher-plugin-for-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:4408:"<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/train-switch.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35093]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/train-switch.jpg?resize=1024%2C492" alt="photo credit: contemplative imaging - cc" class="size-full wp-image-35340" /></a>photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomas-merton/4334175428/">contemplative imaging</a> &#8211; <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
<p>When WordPress 3.0 introduced the ability for developers to register their own <a href="http://codex.wordpress.org/Post_Types#Custom_Post_Types" target="_blank">custom post types</a>, the software became far more flexible for use as a content management system. This was a major turning point for WordPress, as it gave developers a standard way to structure custom content with core-supported features.</p>
<p>Four years later, custom post types are so commonly used that folks occasionally need a way to switch a post from one type to another. A site admin may want to change how content is structured and presented, and switching content to a new post type can be a huge time saver in some instances.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/post-type-switcher/" target="_blank">Post Type Switcher</a> plugin, authored by <a href="http://jaco.by/" target="_blank">John James Jacoby</a>, was created for exactly this purpose. It&#8217;s one of those plugins that you may not have ever known about until you&#8217;re on the hunt to find a way to convert a post from one type to another.</p>
<p>The plugin adds a simple post type dropdown to the post editor, which allows you to reassign any post to a new post type.</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/post-type-switcher.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35093]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/post-type-switcher.jpg?resize=772%2C250" alt="post-type-switcher" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35321" /></a></p>
<p>The handy thing is that Post Type Switcher can convert nearly every combination of posts, pages, attachments, custom post types, etc:</p>
<ul>
<li>Page to Post</li>
<li>Post to Page</li>
<li>Page to Attachment</li>
<li>Post to Custom</li>
</ul>
<p>What happens when you change a post to a different type? Only the <code>'post_type'</code> property of a post is changed. Categories, tags, and custom taxonomies all remain untouched. Featured images remain in place. The post&#8217;s URL will change to whatever the new post type uses. For example, if you change a regular post to a testimonial post type that uses /testimonial/ in the URL, your newly converted post will follow the pattern of its new post type.</p>
<p>The old post URL should 404 so that you can use a plugin to redirect to the new URL or add some custom rewrite rules to your .htaccess file. While testing the plugin with different post types, I only encountered one instance where a plugin didn&#8217;t properly 404 the original post, but most of the time you won&#8217;t have an issue with this.</p>
<p>Jacoby has purposely excluded invisible post types, such as revisions, menus, etc., but you can filter <code>'pts_post_type_filter'</code> to change how this works if you need access to more post types.</p>
<p><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/beatpanda/" target="_blank">Matthew Gerring</a>, a contributor to the plugin, helped to add bulk editing so that you can select all posts in a certain type and convert them to a new type with one quick action.</p>
<p>Post Type Switcher is very useful if you started out putting content in regular posts but now want to move it into a portfolio plugin or testimonial plugin. Or perhaps you&#8217;ve been running bbPress on your site and want to extract a few of the most active posts to become regular blog posts instead. Another common use might be to convert a bunch of posts to pages in order to create a static reference section for your site. This plugin makes all of that possible.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re planning to use the plugin, make sure to test your post type switches in a development environment first. It&#8217;s also a good idea to backup your live site before making drastic changes to content. You can find <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/post-type-switcher/" target="_blank">Post Type Switcher</a> in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory.</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, 10 Dec 2014 22:13:33 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:32;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: BuddyPress 2.2 to Add Custom Post Type Support to the Activity Stream";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35081";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:"http://wptavern.com/buddypress-2-2-to-add-custom-post-type-support-to-the-activity-stream";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:3692:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/buddypress-wall.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35081]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/buddypress-wall.jpg?resize=1018%2C458" alt="buddypress-wall" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20901" /></a></p>
<p>BuddyPress 2.2 is shaping up to be an exciting release, packed full of new features for developers. <a href="http://wptavern.com/buddypress-2-2-will-add-support-for-composer" target="_blank">Support for Composer</a> will be included in 2.2, as well as <a href="http://wptavern.com/buddypress-2-2-on-track-to-provide-a-basic-member-type-api" target="_blank">a basic member type API</a>, which will allow developers to create different user types.</p>
<p>The upcoming 2.2 release will also introduce the ability for new activity items to be generated when content is created by registered post types. This is a feature that already exists within the BuddyPress&#8217; blogs component and will be extended to include custom post types that declare support for it. Developers will be able to add support for CPTs with one simple line of code:</p>
<pre class="brush: php; light: true; title: ; notranslate">add_post_type_support( 'book', 'buddypress-activity' );</pre>
<p>This will publish updates to the activity stream for the post type that you specify, using generic strings. The BuddyPress <a href="https://codex.buddypress.org/plugindev/post-types-activities/#adding-the-buddypress-support-and-specific-labels-at-post-type-registration" target="_blank">codex</a> has already been updated to show examples for how you can get more control over the activity attributes when you register the post type.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/cpt-activity.png" rel="prettyphoto[35081]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/cpt-activity.png?resize=1025%2C326" alt="cpt-activity" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35302" /></a></p>
<p>&#8220;This update is about the <a href="https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/5669" target="_blank">first step</a> of it: ease the implementation of tracking the published post type items into the Activity stream,&#8221; BuddyPress core developer Mathieu Viet explained in the <a href="https://bpdevel.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/about-post-types-and-buddypress-activities/" target="_blank">announcement</a> on the BP development blog.</p>
<p>When post type support is added to the activity stream, you will also be able to sort the new items via the activity dropdown filters. This filter is available on the frontend and in the backend.</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/activity-dropdown.png" rel="prettyphoto[35081]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/activity-dropdown.png?resize=1025%2C366" alt="activity-dropdown" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35299" /></a></p>
<p>These improvements are all recent additions to BuddyPress trunk. If you want to test 2.2 alpha, <a href="https://buddypress.org/download/" target="_blank">checkout BuddyPress trunk</a> via SVN or <a href="https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/browser/trunk" target="_blank">download the zip file</a>. Activate it and then add support for a custom post type that is active on your BuddyPress test site.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/3460" target="_blank">ticket</a> that houses the discussion on this issue has been open for three years. BuddyPress 2.2 finally answers this request and gives plugin developers a beautifully simple implementation for adding post type support to the activity stream.</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, 10 Dec 2014 07:28:34 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:109:"WPTavern: New Plugin Adds Google’s No CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA to WordPress Login, Comment, and Registration Forms";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35201";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:114:"http://wptavern.com/new-plugin-adds-googles-no-captcha-recaptcha-to-wordpress-login-comment-and-registration-forms";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:3643:"<p>Several plugins are starting to spring up in the WordPress Plugin Directory to bring Google&#8217;s new No Captcha reCAPTCHA to WordPress forms. With public hatred for CAPTCHAs at an all-time high, Google finally put its efforts into redesigning the experience, <a href="http://wptavern.com/googles-new-recaptcha-api-replaces-distorted-text-with-a-checkbox" target="_blank">replacing the distorted text with a simple checkbox</a>.</p>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nocaptcha.gif" rel="prettyphoto[35201]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nocaptcha.gif?resize=616%2C164" alt="photo credit: Google Online Security Blog" class="size-full wp-image-34870" /></a>photo credit: <a href="http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/2014/12/are-you-robot-introducing-no-captcha.html">Google Online Security Blog</a>
<p>WordPress developers have been quick to take advantage of the new No CAPTCHA API to add it to WordPress forms. So far, the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/no-captcha-recaptcha/" target="_blank">No CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA</a> plugin, created by Nigerian web developer <a href="http://w3guy.com/" target="_blank">Agbonghama Collins</a>, provides the most flexibility for specifying the forms where you want to add the protection.</p>
<ul>
<li>Option to activate CAPTCHA in either login, registration, comment or combination of two or all</li>
<li>Choose a theme for the CAPTCHA (light or dark)</li>
<li>Auto-detects the user&#8217;s language</li>
</ul>
<p>Once activated and configured, you&#8217;ll see the new reCAPTCHA added on the frontend:</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/recaptcha-frontend.png" rel="prettyphoto[35201]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/recaptcha-frontend.png?resize=359%2C459" alt="recaptcha-frontend" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35276" /></a></p>
<p>The plugin is easy to configure &#8211; simply paste in your Google reCAPTCHA keys on the settings page:</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/recaptcha-keys.png" rel="prettyphoto[35201]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/recaptcha-keys.png?resize=665%2C365" alt="recaptcha-keys" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35272" /></a></p>
<p>Select the login, registration, or comment forms, or any combination thereof, for adding No Captcha reCAPTCHA protection.</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/select-form.png" rel="prettyphoto[35201]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/select-form.png?resize=725%2C324" alt="select-form" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35275" /></a></p>
<p>Further down the page you have the option to force the plugin to use a specific language via a dropdown, or leave it on auto-detect. You can also set a custom error message for when the user fails to solve the CAPTCHA and select a theme for the CAPTCHA display.</p>
<p>I tested the plugin and it works as advertised to add the new No Captcha reCAPTCHA. I discovered that it is not compatible with the Jetpack Comment module, so you&#8217;ll want to uncheck that box for comments if you&#8217;re using it. The <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/no-captcha-recaptcha/" target="_blank">No CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA</a> plugin is available for free from WordPress.org. It&#8217;s not yet known whether Google will create an official implementation for WordPress, but in the meantime, this plugin makes it easy to add reCAPTCHA to the WordPress forms that are the most vulnerable to spam.</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, 09 Dec 2014 23:09:30 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:56:"WPTavern: Barry Kooij Adopts The Download Monitor Plugin";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35263";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:"http://wptavern.com/barry-kooji-adopts-the-download-monitor-plugin";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:1987:"<p>Developed by <a title="http://mikejolley.com/" href="http://mikejolley.com/">Mike Jolley</a>, <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/download-monitor/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/download-monitor/">Download Monitor</a> is an eight year old plugin with over 600k downloads. Download Monitor provides an interface for uploading and managing downloadable files including support for multiple versions, inserting download links into posts, and logging downloads.</p>
<blockquote><p>It has been rewritten 4 times, seen well over 100 releases, and been downloaded 600,000 times. The latest ‘v1’ reboot has been praised and I often receive nice comments from users even though development has slowed of late.</p></blockquote>
<p>Due to time constraints, Jolley placed Download Monitor up for adoption. <a title="http://www.barrykooij.com/" href="http://www.barrykooij.com">Barry Kooij</a>, a coworker of Jolley&#8217;s, adopted the plugin. Kooij is already working on the next version and users should see an update soon. Regarding the plugin&#8217;s future, Jolley states, &#8220;I’m really excited about its future and I’m happy that Download Monitor is in safe hands.&#8221;</p>
<h2>How to Put a Plugin up For Adoption</h2>
<p>The Download Monitor plugin has a happy ending but there are several plugins that are abandoned every year. If you&#8217;re thinking about abandoning your plugin, consider <a title="http://wptavern.com/adopt-me-plugin-tag-is-now-in-use-on-wordpress-org" href="http://wptavern.com/adopt-me-plugin-tag-is-now-in-use-on-wordpress-org">putting it up for adoption</a> instead.</p>
<p>When a plugin author adds the &#8216;<a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/adopt-me" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/adopt-me">adopt-me</a>&#8216; tag, it shows up in a list of other plugins using the same tag. Currently, there are 19 plugins available for adoption. Simply get in touch with the author and ask if you can take over development.</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, 09 Dec 2014 22:36:58 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:57:"WPTavern: Coen Jacobs on Using The Right Tool For The Job";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35239";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:67:"http://wptavern.com/coen-jacobs-on-using-the-right-tool-for-the-job";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:1397:"<p>Coen Jacobs, who works as a backend developer, published a short video explaining why he doesn&#8217;t <a title="http://coenjacobs.me/why-not-full-time-wordpress-anymore/" href="http://coenjacobs.me/why-not-full-time-wordpress-anymore/">work with WordPress</a> full-time anymore. It&#8217;s not that he doesn&#8217;t like the project but rather, he&#8217;s gained a fresh perspective since stepping outside of the WordPress bubble.</p>
<p><span class="embed-youtube"></span></p>
<blockquote><p>WordPress used to be the holy grail for me, I made everything with WordPress, even things that weren&#8217;t really suitable to be built on WordPress. I was an absolute fanboy who used WordPress for everything.</p></blockquote>
<p>WordPress <a title="http://wptavern.com/what-would-it-take-for-wordpress-to-lose-its-dominance" href="http://wptavern.com/what-would-it-take-for-wordpress-to-lose-its-dominance">isn&#8217;t going away anytime soon</a> but it&#8217;s a risky move to place all your eggs in one basket.</p>
<p>Instead of using WordPress for everything, he&#8217;s now using the best framework or tool for the job. I think this is a key lesson that a lot of WordPress developers need to be reminded of from time to time. WordPress is capable of handling a lot of different types of websites but it&#8217;s not suitable for every project.<em> Use the right tool for the job.<br />
</em></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, 09 Dec 2014 21:14:34 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:75:"WPTavern: WP Stagecoach to Bring 1-Click Staging Sites to WordPress in 2015";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=32476";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:85:"http://wptavern.com/wp-stagecoach-to-bring-1-click-staging-sites-to-wordpress-in-2015";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:3816:"<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/wp-stagecoach.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[32476]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/wp-stagecoach.jpg?resize=683%2C298" alt="wp-stagecoach" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35226" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://wpstagecoach.com" target="_blank">WP Stagecoach</a> has been in beta for the past few months and the team behind it is busy planning for an official launch in early 2015. The startup, created by Jonathan Kay, came in second, behind <a href="http://wpcurve.com/" title="WP Curve" target="_blank">WP Curve</a>, in the first round of <a href="http://mattreport.com/episode-1-wordpress-startup-challenge/" target="_blank">Matt Report&#8217;s WordPress Startup Challenge</a>.</p>
<p>The new service aims to create the most convenient way to stage a WordPress site, with 1-click copying from production to staging and 1-click to merge the changes back into the live site. WP Stagecoach offers a plugin that hooks your site up to the service with an API key. Staging sites are hosted on WP Stagecoach&#8217;s servers.</p>
<p>The beta version of the service currently includes the following features:</p>
<ul>
<li>Create a staging copy of your live site with one click.</li>
<li>Copy changes from your staging site back to your live site.</li>
<li>Choose which changes to import. You can import some or all of your file changes, and/or your database changes.</li>
<li>Password-protect your staging site.</li>
<li>Staging site runs on WP Stagecoach&#8217;s server – no need to set up hosting for your staging site.</li>
<li>Revert file changes if importing from your staging site doesn’t go as expected.</li>
<li>Staging sites can be accessed via SSL-encryption</li>
</ul>
<p>After testing the beta on a simple blog, I found that the build process took several minutes. Once the site is created, you&#8217;ll be given SFTP/FTP login credentials and URL for your staging site. The site that WP Stagecoach creates is instantly public, which has me worried about duplicate content. If you use the service, you&#8217;ll want to log in and install a maintenance plugin to hide the staging site from the public.</p>
<p>If an import gets interrupted, the plugin can pick up where it left off, which is helpful for larger sites. It also includes an advanced debug mode for tracking down problems.</p>
<p>All of the staging sites are hosted on a standard LAMP stack, and users will not be able to reproduce their exact hosting environment with the service when it launches. For many people, the stack will be similar enough to their host and will cause no issues. However, if you are running on a more customized hosting environment, WP Stagecoach will likely not be suitable for creating your staging site.</p>
<p>WP Stagecoach has plans to make it possible for users to create a staging site on their own servers, but this feature will be further down the road. When the team is able to add this, it will make the product a much more versatile tool for WordPress developers.</p>
<p>At the moment, the service is very promising and offers a highly convenient way to create a staging site for a simple WordPress site on a standard LAMP stack. Those with a more customized server environment will have to look elsewhere for the time being. If the tool adapts to become more flexible, it will be better positioned to reach a larger audience with a wide range of hosting environments.</p>
<p>WP Stagecoach pricing will be $12/month or $99/year for basic support. The beta is free and the team plans to add a few updates before the official launch. If you want to test the service, sign up on <a href="http://wptavern.com/ https://wpstagecoach.com/pricing/" target="_blank">wpstagecoach.com</a> to download the plugin.</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, 09 Dec 2014 18:48:33 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:83:"WPTavern: CEO and Envato Co-founder Collis Ta’eed On The First 6 Months of Envato";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35192";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:"http://wptavern.com/ceo-and-envato-co-founder-collis-taeed-on-the-first-6-months-of-envato";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:2233:"<p>Earlier this year, CEO and <a title="http://www.envato.com/" href="http://www.envato.com/">Envato</a> Co-founder, Collis Ta&#8217;eed, spoke at <a title="http://thesunrise.co/" href="http://thesunrise.co/">The Sunrise conference</a> in Sydney, Australia. The Sunrise is a conference where founders of Australia&#8217;s iconic startups describe the early years of their business. The presentation is 15 minutes in length with 30 minutes dedicated to questions.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s a lot of great information in the presentation, especially if you&#8217;re running a bootstrapped business. I also admire Ta&#8217;eed&#8217;s delivery as he comes off as a straight shooter. He reminds me of myself when I tried to launch a business several years ago.</p>
<h2>Presentation Highlights</h2>
<p>Envato began as a stock Flash template marketplace called Flash Den. Flash Den was eventually renamed to Active Den due to Adobe owning the trademarks associated with Flash.</p>
<p>Envato started with $30k and is still a bootstrapped company. Ta&#8217;eed receives numerous offers every year from venture capitalists looking to invest in Envato. So far, he has not accepted any outside funding.</p>
<p><a title="http://appstorm.net/" href="http://appstorm.net/">AppStorm</a> was the precursor to the Apple App Store. Before Ta&#8217;eed could turn AppStorm into an app marketplace, Apple released the App Store crushing his idea.</p>
<p>At 32:26, Ta&#8217;eed is asked how he came up with the name Envato. He bought it from <a title="https://www.brandbucket.com/" href="https://www.brandbucket.com/">Brandbucket</a> for $1k.</p>
<p>At 38:50, Ta&#8217;eed is asked to describe how massive the Envato marketplace is. His response, &#8220;We sell something every 6 seconds, we sell a million WordPress theme per year, and we have the largest stock music marketplace by volume with a million tracks licensed each year.&#8221;</p>
<p>At 42:52, Ta&#8217;eed is asked about Envato&#8217;s relationship to WordPress. He admits to the licensing challenges and mentions that, when Envato started selling WordPress themes, he didn&#8217;t know what the GPL was. He describes the relationship as symbiotic.</p>
<p><span class="embed-youtube"></span></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, 09 Dec 2014 02:35:34 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:66:"WPTavern: Manage Multiple WordPress Sites with WPDASH, Now in Beta";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=27624";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:75:"http://wptavern.com/manage-multiple-wordpress-sites-with-wpdash-now-in-beta";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:2721:"<p><a href="http://en.wpdash.io/" target="_blank">WPDASH</a> is a new service that launched in beta today, created by a group of WordPress developers in Poland. It joins the ranks of <a href="https://managewp.com/" target="_blank">ManageWP</a>, <a href="https://wpremote.com/" target="_blank">WP Remote</a>, <a href="http://infinitewp.com/" target="_blank">InfiniteWP</a>, and a handful of others that provide a centralized WordPress dashboard for managing multiple sites.</p>
<p>With the popularity of WordPress on the rise, many users have more than one site in operation. Those who work in development often have hundreds, if not thousands, of WordPress sites to look after, all of which require regular plugin and theme updates.</p>
<p>The automatic background updates introduced in <a href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-3-7-released-wordpress-now-updates-itself" target="_blank">WordPress 3.7</a> certainly ease the burden of maintenance for many WordPress agencies, but centralized dashboards are becoming critical for successfully managing backups, site uptime, and updates to themes and plugins for multiple installations.</p>
<p>WPDASH is entering beta with an impressive array of features for managing sites, including the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Add and modify posts and comments</li>
<li>Install themes and plugins</li>
<li>One-click updates</li>
<li>Generate reports</li>
<li>Create manual and automatic backups</li>
<li>Monitor server uptime and user browsing habits</li>
<li>Monitor accessibility of linked pages and inbound link statistics</li>
<li>Two-factor authentication with Rublon</li>
</ul>
<p>Here&#8217;s a look at an example WPDASH overview of activity across all of your WordPress sites:</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/wp-dash.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[27624]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/wp-dash.jpg?resize=720%2C772" alt="wp-dash" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35166" /></a></p>
<p>WPDASH also includes a number of advanced SEO-related features, such as integration with third-party tools for keyword monitoring and analytics services.</p>
<p>Since the beta period is just now starting, we&#8217;ll be monitoring users&#8217; experiences to see how reliable the service is. WPDASH has not yet detailed its pricing, because the team is still ironing out features that will be added before launch. Beta testers have the opportunity to vote from the Features tab in the dashboard for new features that will be implemented.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re curious about the new service and want to join in the testing period, you can sign up for free at <a href="http://en.wpdash.io/" target="_blank">WPDASH.io</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:"Mon, 08 Dec 2014 21:29:39 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:56:"WPTavern: Add an Auto Reply to Your Jetpack Contact Form";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35098";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:"http://wptavern.com/add-an-auto-reply-to-your-jetpack-contact-form";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:4227:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/paper-airplaine.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35098]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/paper-airplaine.jpg?resize=1025%2C495" alt="paper-airplaine" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35147" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/jetpack/" target="_blank">Jetpack</a> has been downloaded more than 13 million times. The <a href="http://jetpack.me/support/contact-form/" target="_blank">Contact Form</a> module is one of its most popular features, as nearly every site requires a way for visitors to get in touch. The module is reliable and easy to use but fairly basic in terms of features.</p>
<p>Fortunately, Jetpack makes it easy for you to extend its features with a plugin. <a href="http://www.hughlashbrooke.com/" target="_blank">Hugh Lashbrooke</a>, who has authored more than a dozen plugins hosted on WordPress.org, has just released <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/jetpack-contact-form-auto-reply/" target="_blank">Jetpack Contact Form Auto Reply</a> to make it easy for site admins to issue an automatic message in response to a contact form submission.</p>
<p>The plugin adds a new Auto Reply sub-menu item under the Jetpack menu, with settings for two useful features:</p>
<ul>
<li>Craft a custom reply message using the WordPress WYSIWYG editor</li>
<li>Set a unique from name and address for auto replies</li>
</ul>
<p>You can even add rich text or images to the custom reply message, which makes it easy to brand your communications for your company or organization.</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/auto-reply.png" rel="prettyphoto[35098]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/auto-reply.png?resize=1025%2C401" alt="auto-reply" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35107" /></a></p>
<p>The auto reply message could be something as simple as &#8220;We have received your request and will contact you shortly.&#8221; Or perhaps it&#8217;s a holiday and you want to update the auto reply to notify people of any delays in response time, i.e. &#8220;We will be out of the office until January 3, 2015.&#8221; This plugin provides an easy way to do that in the WordPress admin, without having to set up an auto-responder in your email.</p>
<p>Lashbrooke originally created the plugin for his own use, because he was receiving numerous messages from people asking for support for his plugins hosted on WordPress.org and WooThemes.com. His custom auto reply message is designed to help point people to the appropriate forum, in case they contacted him for support-related questions.</p>
<p>After testing the plugin, I can confirm that it works as advertised. The only tricky part is the last setting on the page, which calls for the label of the field in the contact form that contains the email address to use for the auto reply. You have to correctly identify this label or it won&#8217;t send. In my case the label was &#8216;Email,&#8217; which is likely to be a common one.</p>
<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/auto-reply-email-settings.png" rel="prettyphoto[35098]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/auto-reply-email-settings.png?resize=1025%2C279" alt="auto-reply-email-settings" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35108" /></a></p>
<p>While an auto reply might seem redundant, since Jetpack already displays a confirmation of the message sending successfully, that extra note in your visitor&#8217;s inbox can be reassuring, especially since it allows them to reply to the email if necessary. You can never underestimate the importance of communication in a customer&#8217;s decision-making process.</p>
<p>Jetpack Contact Form Auto Reply is a handy add-on for the millions of Jetpack users out there who use the Contact Form module. <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/jetpack-contact-form-auto-reply/" target="_blank">Download</a> it from WordPress.org. If you&#8217;d like to contribute to make it better, feel free to fork the plugin on <a href="https://github.com/hlashbrooke/Jetpack-Contact-Form-Auto-Reply" target="_blank">GitHub</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:"Mon, 08 Dec 2014 18:15:22 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:65:"WPTavern: What Would it Take For WordPress to Lose its Dominance?";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35076";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:74:"http://wptavern.com/what-would-it-take-for-wordpress-to-lose-its-dominance";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:3448:"<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ThroneFeaturedImage.png" rel="prettyphoto[35076]"><img class="size-full wp-image-35085" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ThroneFeaturedImage.png?resize=634%2C285" alt="Throne Featured Image" /></a>photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/9223676618/">pasukaru76</a> &#8211; <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>
<p>WordPress is 11 years old and used on over 20% of the web. Its popularity is made up of many facets including, the community, themes and plugins. In the realm of open source content management systems, nothing comes close to what WordPress has accomplished. Although it&#8217;s the market leader, its dominance won&#8217;t last forever.</p>
<p>Mike Johnston of CMS Critic asks, &#8220;<a title="http://www.cmscritic.com/what-it-will-take-to-dethrone-wordpress/" href="http://www.cmscritic.com/what-it-will-take-to-dethrone-wordpress/">What It Will Take to Dethrone WordPress?</a>&#8221; In the article, Johnston explains why WordPress is on top and why Ghost is on the right path to possibly achieving similar success.</p>
<blockquote><p>We&#8217;ve seen some successful upstarts come out of the wood work to try to take a piece of the pie and some are doing quite well in gaining momentum. One particular contender that comes to mind is Ghost.</p></blockquote>
<p>While Ghost is doing well in its own right, <a title="http://wptavern.com/why-wordpress-doesnt-need-to-fear-ghost-yet" href="http://wptavern.com/why-wordpress-doesnt-need-to-fear-ghost-yet">I don&#8217;t think</a> it will knock on WordPress&#8217; door anytime soon. Johnston lists four things contenders must do in order to dethrone WordPress.</p>
<ol>
<li>Focus on marketing to developers</li>
<li>Offer a migration path</li>
<li>Offer hosted and self hosted options</li>
<li>Build up a community</li>
</ol>
<p>The four steps he lists are a good start, but it&#8217;s going to take a lot more than that to take a chunk out of WordPress&#8217; market share. In 2009, I <a title="http://wptavern.com/six-ways-in-which-wordpress-could-die" href="http://wptavern.com/six-ways-in-which-wordpress-could-die">outlined six ways</a> WordPress could die and named <a title="http://www.habariproject.org/en/" href="http://www.habariproject.org/en/">Habari</a> as a viable competitor. Five years later, WordPress is bigger than ever and no one seems to remember the Habari project.</p>
<h2>A Combination of Factors</h2>
<p>I don&#8217;t think any <em>one thing</em> will put WordPress in second place. Instead, a combination of factors would likely need to take place. In no particular order, here are a couple of things that might lead to the project&#8217;s demise.</p>
<ol>
<li>Project leadership routinely ignores the majority.</li>
<li>It becomes a large, bloated, legacy project that blocks innovation.</li>
<li>A competing CMS comes along that does everything WordPress does, except better.</li>
<li>The community in mass disappears or loses interest in favor of a competing product.</li>
<li>A huge scandal takes place involving Automattic, the WordPress Foundation and those close to the project.</li>
</ol>
<p>I doubt any of these things will happen and WordPress will continue to be the market leader for at least the next 10 years. What risks or series of events do you think would lead to WordPress losing its dominance?</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, 06 Dec 2014 05:35:23 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:66:"WPTavern: Minnow: A Free Minimalist Blogging Theme from Automattic";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=34709";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:75:"http://wptavern.com/minnow-a-free-minimalist-blogging-theme-from-automattic";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:2517:"<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/minnow" title="Minnow" target="_blank">Minnow</a> is a beautiful, ultra-minimalist blogging theme from Automattic that just landed in the WordPress.org directory this week, bringing the company&#8217;s total free theme contributions to 54. It was designed by <a href="http://choycedesign.com/" target="_blank">Mel Choyce</a>, co-author of the popular <a href="http://wptavern.com/flounder-a-free-wordpress-theme-with-colorful-post-formats" target="_blank">Flounder</a> theme.</p>
<p>Minnow features a single-column blog homepage, with a prominent social links menu at the top. The theme has support for all the standard post formats, with unique grey icons for each. The post meta design is tastefully simple and understated so that your content stays in focus.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/minnow.png" rel="prettyphoto[34709]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/minnow.png?resize=1025%2C993" alt="minnow" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-34912" /></a></p>
<p>Quotes, galleries, asides, etc. are all uniquely represented with subtle variations. Minnow also includes matching styles for threaded comments.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/quote.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[34709]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/quote.jpg?resize=860%2C340" alt="quote" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35063" /></a></p>
<p>The theme has just a handful of customization options for changing the background image and/or color. It&#8217;s the type of theme that you can activate and have it looking like the demo in under two minutes.</p>
<p>The theme is mobile friendly, and the 660px main content area sizes down gracefully for mobile devices. Minnow also includes a slide-out sidebar widget area. The primary navigation menu is pinned to the top of the sidebar, above any widgets.</p>
<p>Check out the <a href="http://minnowdemo.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">live demo</a> to see Minnow in action. You&#8217;ll have to install the theme on your site in order to see the slide-out sidebar and navigation menu, as it is currently omitted in the demo.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re looking to jump start your blog for the upcoming new year, Minnow is an excellent choice. The clean design offers visitors a pleasant reading experience. <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/minnow" target="_blank">Download</a> it for free from WordPress.org.</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:"Fri, 05 Dec 2014 21:41:01 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:82:"WPTavern: Roots Starter Theme for WordPress Will Become Framework Agnostic in 2015";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=35007";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:92:"http://wptavern.com/roots-starter-theme-for-wordpress-will-become-framework-agnostic-in-2015";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:4399:"<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/roots.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[35007]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/roots.jpg?resize=1024%2C477" alt="photo credit: Buzz Hoffman - cc" class="size-full wp-image-35036" /></a>photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/buzzhoffman/3673683967/">Buzz Hoffman</a> &#8211; <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
<p>Major changes are coming to the <a href="http://roots.io/" target="_blank">Roots</a> starter theme for WordPress. Roots has appealed mainly to developers, because it incorporates modern build tools into its workflow. The theme  was first released in 2011 and now counts more than 70 contributors to the project.</p>
<p>Roots currently utilizes HTML5 Boilerplate, Bootstrap, Grunt, and Bower in the starter theme but will will soon be moving to Gulp. The project&#8217;s GitHub repo has a <a href="https://github.com/roots/roots/pull/1138" target="_blank">Gulp branch</a> with the relevant discussion and commits.</p>
<p><strong>&#8220;Gulp is faster, has nicer configuration files, allows us to easily compile both Less and Sass to the same stylesheet, and more,&#8221;</strong> Roots creator <a href="http://benword.com/" target="_blank">Ben Word</a> said, regarding the upcoming changes.</p>
<p>This will also include an update to Roots&#8217; asset pipeline, which will allow theme developers to take CSS and JS from WordPress plugins and have it compiled into the single CSS and single JS files that the theme builds. The <a href="https://github.com/roots/roots/pull/1215" target="_blank">new asset pipeline</a> brings changes to project folders, removes differences between dev and production tasks, and adds a JSON-based asset pipeline.</p>
<h3>Build a Roots-based Theme Using Any Framework</h3>
<p>Additionally, the starter theme will be moving away from including <a href="http://getbootstrap.com/" target="_blank">Bootstrap</a> in order to become framework agnostic. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to have a Yeoman generator that will allow you to build a Roots based theme however you want,&#8221; Word said. &#8220;You&#8217;ll be able to pick from any framework, Bootstrap, Bootstrap Sass, Foundation, and more.&#8221;</p>
<p>While Bootstrap still has a very large user base, the Roots community has shown more interest in other frameworks such as <a href="http://semantic-ui.com/" target="_blank">Semantic UI</a> and <a href="https://developers.google.com/web/starter-kit/" target="_blank">Google&#8217;s Web Starter Kit</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;A lot of people over the years have expressed that they like Roots, but don’t like Bootstrap,&#8221; Word explained. &#8220;We&#8217;ve even seen some forks pop up (Roots Foundation, for instance) to accommodate other frameworks. By becoming framework agnostic, the starter theme should be able to appeal to a wider audience.&#8221;</p>
<p>Word and his team plan to have the generator ready for the public in the first quarter of 2015 and are currently working to incorporate work from other Yeoman generators.</p>
<p>Last year, the Roots community introduced <a href="http://roots.io/wordpress-stack/" target="_blank">Bedrock</a>, a modern WordPress stack that uses Composer for managing WordPress along with Capistrano for deployment. Bedrock can be used with any theme. Since its launch, the project has struggled with branding issues. When all the new changes are merged into Roots&#8217; master branch, Word plans to rename the starter theme and keep Roots as the organization name.</p>
<p>The Roots starter theme has always had a somewhat narrow audience due to the fact that it has a steeper learning curve than other starter themes. Making the change to be platform agnostic should open it up for more theme developers, but it will continue to cater primarily to those who are interested in using build scripts.</p>
<p>&#8220;Roots has been at a point where you can’t use it if you’re not using npm, Bower, and Grunt, and we&#8217;ve completely stopped supporting users who don’t want to adapt to the better workflow we’ve created,&#8221; Word said. &#8220;I struggled in the past with choosing to support the average Joe WordPress developer or to push for WordPress devs to learn tools that make them better at their job. Workflow efficiency is definitely the ultimate goal.&#8221;</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:"Fri, 05 Dec 2014 18:06:59 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:57:"WPTavern: nRelate Will Shutdown Its Service December 31st";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=34995";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:67:"http://wptavern.com/nrelate-will-shutdown-its-service-december-31st";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:3942:"<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/QikShutdownFeaturedImage.png" rel="prettyphoto[34995]"><img class="size-full wp-image-19708" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/QikShutdownFeaturedImage.png?resize=639%2C200" alt="Qik Shuts Down Featured Image" /></a>photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/slimjim/2772087916/">slimmer_jimmer</a> &#8211; <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>
<p>The content recommendation service <a title="http://nrelate.com" href="http://nrelate.com">nRelate</a>, <a title="http://nrelate.com/content/2014/12/01/farewell/" href="http://nrelate.com/content/2014/12/01/farewell/">announced</a> it will shut down its service December 31st. Launched in 2009, nRelate has provided billions of recommendations to over 100k sites. The service is shifting its assets to support its internal reference-style content properties. If you use nRelate, there is a <a title="http://nrelate.com/farewell-faqs/" href="http://nrelate.com/farewell-faqs/">farewell FAQ</a> available which has instructions on what to do.</p>
<h2>YARPP and Jetpack Related Posts as Alternatives</h2>
<p>There are three alternatives that come to mind with regards to related posts, <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/yet-another-related-posts-plugin/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/yet-another-related-posts-plugin/">YARPP</a>, <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/related-posts-for-wp/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/related-posts-for-wp/">Related Posts for WordPress</a>, and <a title="http://jetpack.me/support/related-posts/" href="http://jetpack.me/support/related-posts/">Jetpack Related Posts</a>. For several years, I used YARPP on WP Tavern to handle related posts and it performed flawlessly. However, at one point, it gave me performance problems because of the resources used on a shared webhosting server. The webhosting provider at the time pointed out that YARPP was taking up too many resources on the server. If you have a limited amount of posts or a beefy server, YARPP is a great alternative because it offers a variety of ways to display related posts.</p>
<p>After encountering performance problems, I decided to go without related posts. <a title="http://wptavern.com/jetpack-2-9-introduces-multisite-support-and-related-posts-module" href="http://wptavern.com/jetpack-2-9-introduces-multisite-support-and-related-posts-module">Jetpack 2.9</a> released in early 2014, contained a new module called <a title="http://jetpack.me/support/related-posts/" href="http://jetpack.me/support/related-posts/">related posts</a>. Unlike YARPP, all of the processing and server resources were used on Automattic&#8217;s servers instead of my own and eliminated my performance issues with related posts. Keep in mind that when you use the Jetpack Related Posts module, the content is mirrored on WordPress.com for indexing and processing.</p>
<p>Another thing to keep in mind is that the module will use the featured image attached to a post in the module. If a featured image is not detected, it uses the first image in the post which may or may not be optimal. You might also see a mix of related posts with and without images.</p>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/JetpackRelatedPostsWithoutAnImage.png" rel="prettyphoto[34995]"><img class="size-full wp-image-34999" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/JetpackRelatedPostsWithoutAnImage.png?resize=679%2C266" alt="Related Post Without an Image" /></a>Related Post Without an Image
<p>I&#8217;m of the mindset that if you can offload the processing required to determine post relationships, then do it. We&#8217;ve used the Jetpack Related Posts module on the Tavern for some time and haven&#8217;t experienced any issues. It&#8217;s also pretty good at being somewhat relevant. What do you use to handle related posts?</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:"Fri, 05 Dec 2014 07:52:48 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:92:"WPTavern: Easily Show When WooCommerce Items Are New, On Sale, or Sold Out With Woo Stickers";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=34989";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:100:"http://wptavern.com/easily-show-when-woocommerce-items-are-new-on-sale-or-sold-out-with-woo-stickers";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:1706:"<p>If you run a WooCommerce store with a lot of products and want a nice way to tell customers whether an item is new, on sale, or sold out, check out the <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/woo-stickers-by-webline/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/woo-stickers-by-webline/">Woo Stickers</a> plugin by Webline. Created by <a title="http://www.weblineindia.com/" href="http://www.weblineindia.com/">Webline India</a>, Woo Stickers makes it easy to provide visual cues on products. Stickers indicate whether a product is new, for sale, or sold out and comes in two styles, ribbon and round.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/StickerStyles.png" rel="prettyphoto[34989]"><img class="size-full wp-image-34990" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/StickerStyles.png?resize=779%2C484" alt="Notification Stickers and Styles" /></a>Notification Stickers and Styles
<p>The plugin&#8217;s settings are modular in that you can configure stickers to display for some products while not appearing for others.</p>
<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/WooStickersSettings.png" rel="prettyphoto[34989]"><img class="size-full wp-image-34991" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/WooStickersSettings.png?resize=1025%2C361" alt="Woo Sticker Settings" /></a>Woo Sticker Settings
<p>Woo Stickers uses image sprites so they should look fine for most WooCommerce store designs. Perhaps in the future, the plugin author can provide the ability to control the sprite and font colors for maximum theme compatibility. I tested the plugin in WordPress 4.0.1 and WooCommerce 2.2.8 and experienced no problems.</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:"Fri, 05 Dec 2014 04:44:33 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:72:"WPTavern: Five Beers: A Free AJAX-Powered Child Theme for Twenty Fifteen";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=34677";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:"http://wptavern.com/five-beers-an-ajax-powered-child-theme-for-twenty-fifteen";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:4184:"<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/five-beers-featured.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[34677]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/five-beers-featured.jpg?resize=1024%2C505" alt="photo credit: rchlnwnhm - cc" class="size-full wp-image-34985" /></a>photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/68442586@N02/13240338454/">rchlnwnhm</a> &#8211; <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
<p>WordPress 4.1 hasn&#8217;t yet been officially released, but child themes for the new <a href="http://twentyfifteendemo.wordpress.com/" title="Twenty Fifteen demo" target="_blank">Twenty Fifteen</a> default theme are already popping up. The minimalist, blog-focused theme has so far been well received and users are already eagerly testing it out.</p>
<p>WordPress developer <a href="https://github.com/chrismccoy" target="_blank">Chris McCoy</a> has created a Twenty Fifteen child theme with a unique twist. At first glance, <a href="https://github.com/chrismccoy/fivebeers" target="_blank">Five Beers</a> appears to be a colorless variation of the default theme, but under the hood you&#8217;ll find a set of powerful AJAX additions.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/five-beers.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[34677]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/five-beers.jpg?resize=971%2C468" alt="five-beers" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-34711" /></a></p>
<p>One of the most impressive features is the way Five Beers handles media display. It incorporates the <a href="http://stripjs.com/" target="_blank">Strip.js</a> lightbox to slide images and videos out from the side of the page. You can see a live example of it on the <a href="http://fivebeers.net/" target="_blank">Five Beers demo site</a>.</p>
<p>The child theme includes all of the customization options of Twenty Fifteen plus several extra features:</p>
<ul>
<li>AJAX Live Search (still working out the bugs)</li>
<li>AJAX comments</li>
<li>AJAX archives</li>
<li>AJAX A-Z Alphabet post loading</li>
<li>AJAX infinite scrolling with SEO as a factor</li>
<li>Custom tag page listed by letter</li>
<li>Lightbox to adapt to galleries and video oEmbeds</li>
<li>Unlimited widget area creation</li>
</ul>
<p>Additionally, when you publish a YouTube or Vimeo link, the theme will use the cover image (click to play) as the featured image. If no featured image is set, Five Beers will use a default click to play thumbnail.</p>
<p>Building all of this functionality into the theme is a bit unorthodox, as most theme authors would opt to put these items into separate plugins. I asked McCoy why he opted to do it this way. &#8220;I’m trying to keep all functionality as the theme, because I prefer not to use a plugin if I don’t need to,&#8221; he said. If you use the theme, you could opt to use McCoy&#8217;s <a href="https://github.com/chrismccoy/strip" target="_blank">Strip Lightbox plugin</a> instead and then simply remove the include in the functions file for the lightbox.php file.</p>
<p>Ultimately, it&#8217;s a theme McCoy built for himself one night while having five different brands of beer, hence the unique name. I&#8217;d like to see each piece of functionality pulled out and supported as a separate plugin, but this isn&#8217;t something he intends to do. McCoy originally planned to create it just for himself but will be adding more features next week.</p>
<p>This child theme is particularly useful if you want to highlight your archived content by including alphabetical sorting and live search, making it easy for users to discover content as they are typing.</p>
<p>Five Beers currently requires WordPress 4.1 Beta 1+ to use until 4.1 is officially released. The WordPress 4.1 project schedule has the release targeted for the week of December 8. McCoy does not plan to add the theme to WordPress.org, as the <a href="http://stripjs.com/license" target="_blank">Strip.js licensing</a> is not supported in the official directory.  You can download the Five Beers theme for free on <a href="https://github.com/chrismccoy/fivebeers" target="_blank">GitHub</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:"Thu, 04 Dec 2014 22:48:27 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:67:"WPTavern: How to Find the Number of Feedly Subscribers to Your Blog";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=34466";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:"http://wptavern.com/how-to-find-the-number-of-feedly-subscribers-to-your-blog";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:5050:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/feedly.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[34466]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/feedly.jpg?resize=1025%2C443" alt="feedly" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-34964" /></a></p>
<p>When Google Reader was laid to rest on July 1, 2013, many users flocked to <a href="http://feedly.com/" target="_blank">Feedly</a>, one of the most popular alternatives. Even if you don&#8217;t use Feedly, it&#8217;s likely that many of your blog&#8217;s readers do. Therefore, if you want a true picture of the number of your RSS subscribers, digging into Feedly&#8217;s numbers should be part of your research.</p>
<h3>Find Your Feedly Subscriber Count on Mobile</h3>
<p>Feedly&#8217;s UI is notorious for being less than intuitive and <a href="http://blog.feedly.com/feedly-tutorial-v1/" target="_blank">confusing to navigate</a>. If you poke around, you can find a rough number of your subscribers. If you&#8217;re using a mobile device, simply search for your blog (even if you&#8217;re already subscribed), in the top search bar and it will display a rough count.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/feedly-mobile.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[34466]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/feedly-mobile.jpg?resize=402%2C500" alt="feedly-mobile" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-34933" /></a></p>
<h3>Find Your Feedly Subscriber Count in the Web App</h3>
<p>If you&#8217;re looking for your subscriber count in the web app, click your site in the left sidebar among your subscriptions and then look for your total subscribers under the title.</p>
<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/feedly-web-app.png" rel="prettyphoto[34466]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/feedly-web-app.png?resize=1025%2C762" alt="feedly-web-app" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-34942" /></a></p>
<p>That&#8217;s not too difficult, but what if you want to know the actual count of your Feedly subscribers? After all, there&#8217;s quite a difference between 3,001 and 3,999, especially when you are looking at setting goals. Once you pass 2,000, it seems that Feedly resorts to fuzzy rounding to the nearest thousand instead of reporting actual figures.</p>
<h3>Feedly Insight Plugin for WordPress</h3>
<p>WordPress sites can install a plugin called <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/feedly-insight/" target="_blank">Feedly Insight</a> to get an exact subscriber count. It utilizes the <a href="http://developer.feedly.com/" target="_blank">Feedly Cloud API</a> to tap into more exact data about your feed(s). Once you install the plugin, you&#8217;ll notice that it adds its own top level menu where you can click on the &#8220;Feedly Insight&#8221; submenu item. Scroll down to the search bar and enter your URL. It will return a few interesting stats, including languages and an exact subscriber count.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/feedly-insight.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[34466]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/feedly-insight.jpg?resize=828%2C725" alt="feedly-insight" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-34953" /></a></p>
<p>You can also search your competitors&#8217; URLs in order to see how well they&#8217;re doing at attracting subscribers. After performing your research, you can keep the plugin if you want to keep track of your Feedly stats via its dashboard widget, or you can uninstall it and check back again later.</p>
<p>Having a full picture of RSS subscribers is important for publishers who want to tailor their content to appear better in feed readers. For example, if you find that you have a large number of Feedly subscribers, you will want to make sure that each post appears with an image. Feedly doesn&#8217;t have the ability to fetch your featured image. Instead, it grabs the first image displayed within your post to show as the thumbnail in its reader. If your post has no images, it will show a blank as the thumbnail, which isn&#8217;t ideal. Adding an image to each post will help you to avoid this.</p>
<p>You can also <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1jmkC6avpJQgdQhuKd2wN0PSYeBzKQ3KQzJEF8F9vZy8/viewform" target="_blank">claim your own Feedly hashtag</a> using this Google form, which allows you to have more control over what people find when they search for your brand or your #name.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re a publisher, you cannot ignore Feedly, even if you&#8217;re not a fan of the product. Feed readers are still going strong and Feedly seems to be leading the pack after Google Reader died. If you have never checked to find out how many people are reading your blog through Feedly, you may be surprised. To get a rough idea, just log into the app. The <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/feedly-insight/" target="_blank">Feedly Insight</a> plugin offers a more detailed look and an easier way to monitor your stats.</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, 04 Dec 2014 21:59:43 +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:13:"Sarah Gooding";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:27:"Matt: Performance As Design";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:21:"http://ma.tt/?p=44539";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:43:"http://ma.tt/2014/12/performance-as-design/";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:193:"<p><a href="http://bradfrost.com/blog/post/performance-as-design/">Performance As Design</a>, by Brad Frost. Great thoughts and links. Performance is going to be a big focus for me in 2015.</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, 04 Dec 2014 15:50:06 +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:4:"Matt";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:81:"WPTavern: WPWeekly Episode 173 – Interview With Happy Joe Founder, James Dalman";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:44:"http://wptavern.com?p=34905&preview_id=34905";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:"http://wptavern.com/wpweekly-episode-173-interview-with-happy-joe-founder-james-dalman";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:3352:"<p>In this episode of WordPress Weekly, <a href="http://marcuscouch.com/" title="http://marcuscouch.com/">Marcus Couch</a> and I discuss the news of the week and interview the founder of <a href="http://www.happyjoe.org/" title="http://www.happyjoe.org/">HappyJoe.org</a>, James Dalman. Happy Joe is a 501 c3 non-profit organization that helps U.S. veterans with entrepreneurship and employment opportunities.</p>
<p>Dalman shares what inspired him to create the organization and the role WordPress plays in helping veterans secure jobs in the web technology industry.</p>
<h2>Stories Discussed:</h2>
<p><a href="http://wptavern.com/wordcamp-maui-hi-set-for-february-13-14th-2015" title="http://wptavern.com/wordcamp-maui-hi-set-for-february-13-14th-2015">WordCamp Maui, HI Set For February 13-14th, 2015</a><br />
<a href="http://wptavern.com/dawnpatrol-gives-fringe-wordpress-communities-a-voice" title="http://wptavern.com/dawnpatrol-gives-fringe-wordpress-communities-a-voice">DawnPatrol Gives Fringe WordPress Communities a Voice</a><br />
<a href="http://wptavern.com/jp-bot-the-silent-bot-behind-the-jetpack-module-extraction-plugins" title="http://wptavern.com/jp-bot-the-silent-bot-behind-the-jetpack-module-extraction-plugins">JP Bot: The Silent Bot Behind the Jetpack Module Extraction Plugins</a><br />
<a href="http://wptavern.com/infinitewp-client-plugin-releases-security-update" title="http://wptavern.com/infinitewp-client-plugin-releases-security-update">InfiniteWP Client Plugin Releases Security Update</a></p>
<h2>Plugins Picked By Marcus:</h2>
<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/before-deleting-the-posts/" title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/before-deleting-the-posts/">Before deleting the posts</a> backs up posts into an XML file before they&#8217;re emptied from the trash. The XML file is stored in the same format same as the Export from WordPress. If you want to restore the post, you can use the WordPress importer.</p>
<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravity-forms-google-analytics-event-tracking/" title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravity-forms-google-analytics-event-tracking/">Gravity Forms Google Analytics Event Tracking</a> provides an easy way to add Google Analytics event tracking to Gravity Forms, allowing you to properly track form submissions as events and conversions within Google Analytics.</p>
<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-voice-recorder/" title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-voice-recorder/">WP Voice Recorder</a> allows you to record audio and play it on the frontend of WordPress within a post. It saves the recorded audio file to a Dropbox account instead of saving it to the server.</p>
<h2>WPWeekly Meta:</h2>
<p><strong>Next Episode:</strong> Wednesday, December 10th 9:30 P.M. Eastern</p>
<p><strong>Subscribe To WPWeekly Via Itunes: </strong><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wordpress-weekly/id694849738" target="_blank">Click here to subscribe</a></p>
<p><strong>Subscribe To WPWeekly Via RSS: </strong><a href="http://www.wptavern.com/feed/podcast" target="_blank">Click here to subscribe</a></p>
<p><strong>Subscribe To WPWeekly Via Stitcher Radio: </strong><a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/wordpress-weekly-podcast?refid=stpr" target="_blank">Click here to subscribe</a></p>
<p><strong>Listen To Episode #173:</strong><br />
</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, 04 Dec 2014 06:11:10 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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:59:"WPTavern: WordPress 4.1 To Introduce Plugin Recommendations";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:"http://wptavern.com/?p=34854";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:69:"http://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-1-to-introduce-plugin-recommendations";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:2176:"<p>On the Add New plugin page in WordPress 4.0, there are two different tabs to help users discover new plugins: Featured and Popular. What if WordPress could recommend plugins based on the ones you have installed? Thanks to a <a title="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/30337" href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/30337">recent update</a> to the API, users will be able to access a list of recommended plugins in WordPress 4.1.</p>
<p>The recommendations take into account the plugins you have installed and suggests plugins based on which ones are commonly used together. It&#8217;s similar to an e-commerce shopping cart that recommends products other customers have purchased based on what&#8217;s in the cart.</p>
<h2>Recommended Plugins To Get its Own Tab</h2>
<p>In today&#8217;s WordPress 4.1 developer meeting, the group <a title="https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/core/p1417641723005178" href="https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/core/p1417641723005178">reached a consensus</a> to create a new tab for Recommended plugins instead of replacing the Popular tab. I&#8217;m in favor of this decision because they each have a different definition. Also, the Popular tab shows which plugins are doing well across the directory. Another benefit to keeping the Popular plugins tab is for fresh installs of WordPress, as it gives users a good foundation to start looking for plugins.</p>
<p>In my tests, I noticed that some of the plugins recommended to me are 5-8 years old. I&#8217;ve reported the behavior to Alex Shiels and it will be addressed before 4.1 ships. If you are testing WordPress 4.1 and come across any oddities with plugin recommendations, please <a title="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/30337" href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/30337">report them</a> in the ticket.</p>
<p>The Recommended plugins tab exposes new and useful plugins to users instead of limiting them to the Featured and Popular categories. Since recommendations are based on actual data, they should get better as time goes on. Do you think a recommended plugins page is a useful addition to the plugin discovery process? Let us know in the comments.</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, 03 Dec 2014 23:33:37 +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:13:"Jeff Chandler";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";a:10:{s:6:"server";s:5:"nginx";s:4:"date";s:29:"Sun, 21 Dec 2014 00:03:35 GMT";s:12:"content-type";s:8:"text/xml";s:14:"content-length";s:6:"241104";s:10:"connection";s:5:"close";s:4:"vary";s:15:"Accept-Encoding";s:13:"last-modified";s:29:"Sun, 21 Dec 2014 00:00:14 GMT";s:15:"x-frame-options";s:10:"SAMEORIGIN";s:4:"x-nc";s:11:"HIT lax 249";s:13:"accept-ranges";s:5:"bytes";}s:5:"build";s:14:"20140530114908";}