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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:83:"WPTavern: Group and Filter Plugins by Functionality with Plugin Groups by CalderaWP";s: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=42131";s: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/group-and-filter-plugins-by-functionality-with-plugin-groups-by-calderawp";s: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:2205:"<p>Plugins such as <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/woocommerce/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/woocommerce/">WooCommerce</a> and <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/ninja-forms/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/ninja-forms/">Ninja Forms</a> have a lot of extensions available to add functionality and each extension is usually a separate plugin. Depending on the functionality you need, extensions can add several additional plugins to the plugin management page in the backend of WordPress.</p>
<p><a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/plugin-groups/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/plugin-groups/">Plugin Groups</a> is a free new plugin by <a title="https://calderawp.com/" href="https://calderawp.com/">CalderaWP</a> that adds the ability to organize plugins by groups for easy filtering. For example, you can create a group called e-Commerce and add all plugins dealing with e-Commerce to the group. When you browse to the Plugins page, you&#8217;ll see a new filter at the top called e-Commerce. Clicking on it will display only the plugins within that group.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/PluginGroups2.gif" rel="prettyphoto[42131]"><img class="size-full wp-image-42135" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/PluginGroups2.gif?resize=648%2C500" alt="Plugin Groups in Action" /></a>Plugin Groups in Action
<p>You can organize groups by clicking on a group&#8217;s name and dragging it up or down. One thing I noticed is that clicking the save button doesn&#8217;t appear to do anything, even though it saves the configuration. I recommend displaying a visual notification that tells me I clicked the save button and the configuration saved successfully.</p>
<p>I tested the plugin on WordPress 4.2 and it works as advertised. Plugin Groups is a nice way to organize and access plugins based on functionality. Plugin Groups should definitely come in handy for those who use 50 plugins or more. You can try <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/plugin-groups/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/plugin-groups/">Plugin Groups</a> yourself by downloading it for free from the WordPress 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, 15 Apr 2015 01:44:13 +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:"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: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:96:"WPTavern: iThemes Patches Vulnerability that Affects All Versions of the iThemes Security 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=42069";s: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/ithemes-patches-vulnerability-that-affects-all-versions-of-the-ithemes-security-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:2873:"<p>iThemes has released new versions of iThemes Security and iThemes Security Pro to <a title="https://ithemes.com/2015/04/14/security-release-for-ithemes-security-update-to-v4-6-13-or-v1-14-18-pro-immediately/" href="https://ithemes.com/2015/04/14/security-release-for-ithemes-security-update-to-v4-6-13-or-v1-14-18-pro-immediately/">address a critical security vulnerability</a>. Every version of both plugins is at risk, including Better WP Security 3.0. The vulnerability allowed potentially dangerous JavaScript to run when viewing 404 logs.</p>
<blockquote><p>When the 404 Detection feature is enabled, data about requests for non-existent pages are stored in the database. Attackers could potentially add JavaScript code to these page requests, which would then be stored. This update fixes a security flaw that could allow those scripts to run when viewing the Security &gt; Logs page</p></blockquote>
<p>If you&#8217;re using iThemes Security Pro, there are three ways to update:</p>
<ul>
<li>Update immediately now from the <a href="https://sync.ithemes.com">Sync Dashboard</a></li>
<li>Update directly from the WordPress dashboard for licensed Pro sites</li>
<li>Download the latest version from the <a href="https://ithemes.com/member/panel">iThemes Member Panel</a></li>
</ul>
<p>If you&#8217;re using iThemes Security, visit Dashboard &#8211; Updates to install the latest version. Every branch of iThemes Security has been patched. To check if you&#8217;re running a patched version, please review the following information.</p>
<ul>
<li>If you were running on 4.6 or higher, you’ll auto-update to 4.6.13</li>
<li>If you were running on 4.5.*, you’ll auto-update to 4.5.11</li>
<li>If you were running on 4.4.*, you’ll auto-update to 4.4.24</li>
<li>If you were running on 4.3.*, you’ll auto-update to 4.3.12</li>
<li>If you were running on 4.2.*, you’ll auto-update to 4.2.16</li>
<li>If you were running on 4.1.*, you’ll auto-update to 4.1.6</li>
<li>If you were running on 4.0.*, you’ll auto-update to 4.0.28</li>
<li>If you were running on 3.6.*, you’ll auto-update to 3.6.7</li>
<li>If you were running on 3.5.*, you’ll auto-update to 3.5.7</li>
<li>If you were running on 3.4.*, you’ll auto-update to 3.4.11</li>
<li>If you were running on 3.3.*, you’ll auto-update to 3.3.1</li>
<li>If you were running on 3.2.*, you’ll auto-update to 3.2.8</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/oleaass">Ole Aass</a> is credited with <a title="http://securitysucks.info/advisories/ssa-2015-0001-ithemes-security-4-6-12-stored-xss/" href="http://securitysucks.info/advisories/ssa-2015-0001-ithemes-security-4-6-12-stored-xss/">discovering and responsibly disclosing</a> the vulnerability. The WordPress.org security team has pushed out an automatic update, but if you haven&#8217;t received it yet, manually update as soon as possible.</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, 15 Apr 2015 01:25:47 +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:112:"WPTavern: WordPress for Android Version 3.9 Adds Two-Factor Authentication and Improvements to the Media Library";s: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=42109";s: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:122:"http://wptavern.com/wordpress-for-android-version-3-9-adds-two-factor-authentication-and-improvements-to-the-media-library";s: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:2324:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/mediapicker-576x1024.png" rel="prettyphoto[42109]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/mediapicker-576x1024.png?resize=281%2C500" alt="mediapicker-576x1024" class="alignright size-large wp-image-42116" /></a>The mobile developers behind WordPress for Android released <a href="https://apps.wordpress.org/2015/04/14/wordpress-for-android-version-3-9/" target="_blank">version 3.9</a> today on Google Play. The app now supports two-factor authentication without the need for application passwords. In the past, WordPress mobile apps required an extra step wherein you would generate a unique password for the app on each of your mobile devices. This release eliminates that extra requirement.</p>
<p>One of the most visible new features in 3.9 is the improved experience of adding media from your device to your site&#8217;s media library. Previously, adding media required a couple extra clicks to navigate to the correct screen for capturing a photo/video or selecting from the mobile device&#8217;s gallery.</p>
<p>The new media screen includes new buttons at the top that allow you to capture a photo or video with your device. It also displays all of your media sources from one location, a major improvement that makes adding media faster and more convenient.</p>
<p>Also new in 3.9 is a language selector specific to the app, which currently <a href="https://github.com/wordpress-mobile/WordPress-Android/blob/develop/tools/exported-language-codes.csv" target="_blank">supports 32 different languages</a> for publishing.</p>
<p>The release <a href="https://apps.wordpress.org/2015/04/14/wordpress-for-android-version-3-9/" target="_blank">post</a> credits 11 different people for their contributions to 3.9. Development for the <a href="https://github.com/wordpress-mobile/WordPress-Android/milestones/4.0" target="_blank">4.0 milestone</a> is already underway on GitHub.</p>
<p>Android users who are eager to update to the latest version may need to wait a few hours. According to contributor <a href="https://github.com/tonyr59h" target="_blank">Tony Rankin</a>, the update was moved to production today and can take awhile to fully propagate. Users can expect the 3.9 update to hit their devices within 24 hours.</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, 14 Apr 2015 23:33:55 +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:28:"Matt: Why We Love Repetition";s: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=44948";s: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:44:"http://ma.tt/2015/04/why-we-love-repetition/";s: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:1035:"<blockquote><p>What is music? There’s no end to the parade of philosophers who have wondered about this, but most of us feel confident saying: ‘I know it when I hear it.’ Still, judgments of musicality are notoriously malleable. That new club tune, obnoxious at first, might become toe-tappingly likeable after a few hearings. Put the most music-apathetic individual in a household where someone is rehearsing for a contemporary music recital and they will leave whistling Ligeti. The simple act of repetition can serve as a quasi-magical agent of musicalisation. Instead of asking: ‘What is music?’ we might have an easier time asking: ‘What do we hear as music?’ And a remarkably large part of the answer appears to be: ‘I know it when I hear it again.’</p></blockquote>
<p>Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis writes on <a href="http://aeon.co/magazine/culture/why-we-love-repetition-in-music/">why we love repetition in music and the neurological effects repeated songs have on us</a>. <em>Hat tip: Brian Groat.</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, 14 Apr 2015 21:34:29 +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: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: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:96:"WPTavern: WPSessions Changes Pricing Structure, Live WordPress Training Events are Now 100% Free";s: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=42050";s: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/wpsessions-changes-pricing-structure-live-events-are-now-100-free";s: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:6317:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/wpsessions-brian-richards.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[42050]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/wpsessions-brian-richards.jpg?resize=866%2C459" alt="wpsessions-brian-richards" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-42097" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://wpsessions.com/" target="_blank">WPSessions</a> founder Brian Richards announced a radical shift in his pricing structure this week. The site was launched two years ago to provide developer education through videos that allow customers to learn from WordPress experts.</p>
<p>Live events are now 100% free for everyone to attend, and the price of the recorded sessions has been reduced from $30/each to $9.</p>
<p>&#8220;The changeup has come entirely from my struggles to get multiple speakers to present within the same small window of time,&#8221; Richards said. With a global audience of both presenters and customers, coordinating timezones often posed a roadblock to scheduling. Richards can now tell the presenters to pick a day and time that works for them and he will be there to record it. The changes also allow for a greater variety of topics.</p>
<p>&#8220;Rather than bundling three similar presentations under a single event, I can now have entirely different topics going on within the same month, or still keep the month focused to a single topic but have the presentations spread out over a couple of weeks,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>In the past, Richards struggled even to get paying customers to attend the live events, as they opted instead to watch the recorded sessions later.</p>
<p>&#8220;With the live broadcasts, having direct access to all of these presenters is a HUGE opportunity, so it was always disappointing in past sessions when I’d sell dozens of tickets but still only have 20 or so people attend the live event,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Making the events 100% free to watch live serves a bunch of different purposes. First, it makes the event accessible to someone where the cost could be a blocker (blocker in a sense of &#8216;I don’t yet know if this resource is worth the investment,&#8217; not &#8216;I don’t think I can afford this,&#8217; because the sessions were already super cheap).</p>
<p>&#8220;Second, it encourages people to actually show up and participate, rather than just sitting back and thinking &#8216;I don’t need to make it live because I can just watch it whenever.'&#8221;</p>
<h3>Reviving WPSessions Sales with Cheaper Pricing and Free Live Events</h3>
<p>WPSessions dropped off the map for a short spell from December to March when Richards struggled to get presenters to commit to scheduling. With the new plan in place, he already has the next five presentations locked in and more on the line.</p>
<p>WPSessions currently has 100 <a href="http://wpsessions.com/vip/" target="_blank">VIP Members</a>, and Richards hopes to grow that number to 400 this year. He&#8217;s not worried about a loss of revenue with the drastically reduced session pricing.</p>
<p>&#8220;My data shows that most (upwards of 90%) of sales on each session happen within the first two months, and then drop off dramatically after that,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>&#8220;If anything, I think this may actually lead to an increase in revenue from the sessions, because it’s incredibly easy for someone to show up for free and see what WPSessions is all about, and because the back catalog is now so much less expensive.&#8221;</p>
<h3>The Future of WPSessions in the WordPress Education Space</h3>
<p>Richards is currently working on producing an intensive WordPress Training Curriculum for developers. The first module, <a href="http://wpsessions.com/learn-wordpress-website-mastery/" target="_blank">WordPress Website Mastery</a>, will be going up next Monday.</p>
<p>&#8220;The overall goal of this will be to take someone in any field and teach them the necessary skills to become a profitable WordPress developer – either as an independent contractor, or by joining the ranks of an agency,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>The long term goal for WP Sessions is to provide the most comprehensive collection of WordPress training materials that exists anywhere. Entrepreneurs are building new products for WordPress every day but very few have ventured into the WP education space to train developers. Richards has found that it&#8217;s not the easiest market to tackle.</p>
<p>&#8220;Developers are a fickle bunch,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They like to figure things out for themselves and hack around the internet until they find the answer to a specific problem they’re facing. It’s hard to introduce them to a specific training track because what they want to learn and what they need to learn are often two wholly different things. I know, because I am one.&#8221;</p>
<p>The WordPress ecosystem does not have an official, respected training certification for developers. While various training sites offer instruction, ranging from site management to development, WPSessions is rare in that it pulls in knowledge from presenters in all corners of the WordPress community.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have yet to find a site that offers the curriculum I&#8217;m looking to provide, which is a full-on cradle-to-grave instruction on Development 101 all the way through to Advanced Techniques, while also hitting on design basics, business development, marketing, and all the other skills an independent contractor needs to have in their wheel house,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>WPSessions isn&#8217;t currently a full-time endeavor, but Richards is working on getting it there this year. By opening up the live events for free, he&#8217;s hoping to expand his audience and attract more customers to his catalog of learning resources.</p>
<p>The next live event features <a href="https://twitter.com/scottbolinger" target="_blank">Scott Bolinger</a>, who will teach viewers <a href="http://wpsessions.com/sessions/build-mobile-apps-wordpress/" target="_blank">how to build mobile applications using WordPress</a>. If you&#8217;re interested to learn how to use the WP REST API with an AngularJS frontend and compile it into a mobile application package, mark your calendars to attend the free live event on April 23 at 4pm EST (UTC+4).</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, 14 Apr 2015 21:15:40 +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: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:81:"WPTavern: Wordfence Premium Adds the Ability to Audit User Passwords in WordPress";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:28:"http://wptavern.com/?p=41937";s: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:91:"http://wptavern.com/wordfence-premium-adds-the-ability-to-audit-user-passwords-in-wordpress";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:3692:"<p>By utilizing the power of graphical processing units and partnering with <a title="http://www.netriver.net/" href="http://www.netriver.net/">Netriver</a>, Wordfence can <a title="http://www.wordfence.com/blog/2015/04/wordfence-announces-password-auditing/" href="http://www.wordfence.com/blog/2015/04/wordfence-announces-password-auditing/">simulate a password cracking attempt</a> using a library that contains more than 260 million passwords.</p>
<p>The library is made up of previous hacks on major websites and services. For example, if your password was leaked during the <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_LinkedIn_hack" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_LinkedIn_hack">LinkdIn hack in 2012</a>, Wordfence will inform you that it&#8217;s no longer safe to use.</p>
<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WordFencePasswordAuditing.png" rel="prettyphoto[41937]"><img class="size-full wp-image-42065" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WordFencePasswordAuditing.png?resize=1025%2C414" alt="WordFence Password Auditing" /></a>Wordfence Password Auditing
<p>I audited the passwords of all users on the Tavern test site and no weak passwords were discovered. I changed my password to <strong>password </strong>and within seconds, Wordfence detected a weak password.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WordFenceWeakPassword.png" rel="prettyphoto[41937]"><img class="size-full wp-image-42067" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WordFenceWeakPassword.png?resize=1025%2C160" alt="Weak Password Detected" /></a>Weak Password Detected
<p>When a weak password is detected, you can email selected users and request that they change it to a strong one. Alternatively, you can let Wordfence change it to a strong one automatically and email it to the user.</p>
<p>Wordfence explains how the auditing process works.</p>
<blockquote><p>Internally this feature uses a double layer of encryption to protect your data during the audit. First, we encrypt the hashes we are going to operate on using a combination of AES encryption and RSA public key encryption.</p>
<p>Then we send your encrypted data via SSL to our servers which provides a second layer of encryption. Once on our servers, the data is stored encrypted until it is audited and we never return sensitive data to your website.</p></blockquote>
<p>Although WordPress 3.7 added an <a title="http://wptavern.com/ridiculously-smart-password-meter-coming-to-wordpress-3-7" href="http://wptavern.com/ridiculously-smart-password-meter-coming-to-wordpress-3-7">improved password strength meter</a>, WordPress doesn&#8217;t enforce password strength for new users. After performing an audit, I recommend turning on the option in Wordfence to enforce strong passwords for new users. This way, you&#8217;ll know that all passwords from that point forward are strong.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ForceStrongPasswords.png" rel="prettyphoto[41937]"><img class="size-full wp-image-42068" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ForceStrongPasswords.png?resize=809%2C242" alt="Enforce Strong Passwords" /></a>Enforce Strong Passwords
<p>Earlier this year, SplashRiver <a title="http://splashdata.com/press/worst-passwords-of-2014.htm" href="http://splashdata.com/press/worst-passwords-of-2014.htm">released its list</a> of the 25 worst passwords used in 2014. The passwords include, 123456, password, and 12345. Password auditing in Wordfence is a convenient way to make sure none of the users on your site are using weak passwords like those in the report.</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, 14 Apr 2015 19:51:39 +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:"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:29:"Matt: Start With The Result ";s: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=44943";s: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/2015/04/start-with-the-result/";s: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:348:"<blockquote><p>Starting with the results helps refocus the day, clear away busy work, and make sure your actions and time are being spent with an eye on the results you want to achieve. Results, not just work.</p></blockquote>
<p>Sara Rosso writes <a href="http://whenihavetime.com/2015/04/10/start-with-the-result/">Start With The Result</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:"Tue, 14 Apr 2015 03:58:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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: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:55:"WPTavern: Going Behind the Scenes with the Jetpack Team";s: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=42002";s: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/going-behind-the-scenes-with-the-jetpack-team";s: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:14277:"<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/jetpack-team.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[42002]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/jetpack-team.jpg?resize=1025%2C683" alt="jetpack-team" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-42007" /></a></p>
<p>Have you ever wondered what it takes to support a WordPress plugin with a million active users? At the beginning of 2015, Matt Mullenweg highlighted Jetpack as one of the most important tools in <a href="http://wptavern.com/how-important-is-jetpack-on-wordpress-road-to-50-market-share" target="_blank">helping WordPress remain competitive</a> and preventing the decline of its market share.</p>
<p>The team surrounding Jetpack is laser focused on adding compelling features that will help self-hosted sites get everything they need in one convenient pit stop. Whether or not you believe the future of WordPress is hinged on Jetpack&#8217;s success, there&#8217;s no doubt that the professionally-supported plugin has helped self-hosted sites to thrive, with much less effort required on the part of site administrators.</p>
<p>With 36 modules currently available in the plugin and a never-ending support queue, the distributed team behind Jetpack meets up regularly to build teamwork and keep things running smoothly. At WordCamp London 2015, a good number of the newly expanded team met in person for the first time.</p>
<p>I had the opportunity to sit down with a few Jetpack representatives, including team lead <a href="https://twitter.com/daljo628" target="_blank">George Stephanis</a>, support specialist <a href="https://twitter.com/carolynsonnek" target="_blank">Carolyn Sonnek</a>, and pit crew team member <a href="http://jes.se.com/" target="_blank">Jesse Friedman</a> to discuss what it takes to keep Jetpack going strong.</p>
<h3>Managing the Jetpack Support Load</h3>
<p>Since their last meetup in August, the Jetpack team has experienced quite a few shakeups. Automattic&#8217;s <a href="http://wptavern.com/automattic-acquires-parka-llc-the-creators-of-bruteprotect" target="_blank">BruteProtect acquisition</a> added five new team members to the pit crew, bringing their numbers to 10. The Jetpack Manage team, which ties into WordPress.com, has 10 members and is led by Beau Lebens. There are also 10 additional team members allocated for supporting Jetpack user happiness.</p>
<p>Stephanis always tries to include someone from support, as they represent those who are on the front lines with users every day. The happiness engineers are also divided into sub-teams to manage a support queue that often adds up to several hundred tickets per day. Requests pour into an email inbox from the plugin itself, as well as the WordPress.org support forums.</p>
<p>Jetpack team members are also active on Twitter and Facebook where they triage requests and help to move users to a more traditional support avenue. The happiness engineers are currently working on a quicker turnaround for support.</p>
<p>&#8220;Right now our goal is to get under 12 hours, and then once we hit that goal, we&#8217;re going to go to five hours, and then on to 1 hour someday,&#8221; Sonnek said. If you take a look at the plugin&#8217;s <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/jetpack" target="_blank">support forums</a>, you&#8217;ll find that nearly all of the issues are resolved or in process, which is a rarity for WordPress.org plugins. It takes 10 team members to keep it that way.</p>
<p>Automattic is aware of the number of people currently using Jetpack but will not be disclosing that information publicly. &#8220;We use those numbers internally for reference for how we are doing, or to see if there has been some change that has resulted in an uptake of new connections or something along those lines,&#8221; Stephanis said.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the end it&#8217;s a number, and a number without context is very easy to take out of context. <span class="pullquote alignleft">Instead of dwelling on the numbers, we&#8217;re much more interested in what adoption looks like.</span>&#8221; He said that the total number is comparable to the million installs reported by WordPress.org but is probably somewhat less if you account for test sites and hosting partnerships where the plugin is automatically installed but not yet active.</p>
<h3>Jetpack Focus for 2015: Iterating and Polishing of Current Features</h3>
<p>For the past few years the Jetpack team has managed a unique balancing act of prioritizing support while fixing bugs and tackling new features at the same time. Many recent releases have introduced new modules, but the team is switching gears in 2015 to focus on keeping the ride smooth.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our focus for the next year is largely going to be on iterating and putting the next bit of spit and polish on features that are already in,&#8221; Stephanis said. &#8220;A lot of the things we&#8217;ve launched need a v2; they need a second pass on it.&#8221;</p>
<p>This new focus will be a change as compared to the previous breakneck speed with which the team was cranking out new modules.</p>
<p>&#8220;There are couple of minor things that other teams are working on that will probably get rolled out to WordPress.com and will probably get synced down to Jetpack as well,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But there&#8217;s no large ticket features that we&#8217;re currently focusing to get into Jetpack and get launched.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is very much a year focused on building up the team, building up familiarity with our internal processes and cultures, and addressing some long-standing technical debt that we&#8217;ve been kind of swamped with paying down.</p>
<p>&#8220;But now with the resources we currently have, it&#8217;s much easier to focus on the core product offering and how to explain that,&#8221; Stephanis said.</p>
<h3>Pushing for Goals Over Deadlines</h3>
<p>Stephanis has been leading Jetpack releases for awhile, but recently the team has started rotating release leads in preparation for his upcoming paternity leave. I asked him if he still feels the weight of pushing out code to millions of users at release time.</p>
<p>&#8220;Every time,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m just thinking &#8211;  What edge cases have I missed? Have I forgotten to do something? Have I updated the translations? What if we&#8217;re not compatible with some other plugin?  What if there&#8217;s a name space conflict and we white screen some sites?&#8221;</p>
<p>With a massive user base using a myriad of different themes and plugins, there&#8217;s always the chance for some unforeseen conflict. The support team has to be prepared to handle that.</p>
<p>However, Stephanis believes the many problems with releases can be prevented by making sure you&#8217;re never in a rush.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you&#8217;re forcing it through to get it out super quick, you&#8217;re not giving your subconscious the time to turn things over in its own time,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m not saying intentionally slow down the development process, but <span class="pullquote alignleft">making sure you&#8217;re never overly rushed by deadlines is one of my best ways to ensure that we&#8217;re not having oops moments</span> or shipping something and then two hours later go &#8216;Oh we forgot the&#8230;'&#8221;</p>
<p>As part of this approach, the team focuses on goals and testing more than meeting an arbitrary release schedule.</p>
<p>&#8220;We set goals more than deadlines,&#8221; Stephanis said. &#8220;Yes, it&#8217;s nice to have deadlines and goals but if you&#8217;re overly concerned about the deadline, the quality can slip. We make sure we&#8217;re not shipping anything unless we&#8217;re really comfortable with it, we&#8217;re confident, and we&#8217;ve tested it.&#8221;</p>
<p>The team aims to do at least a one-week translation freeze before releases and generally catches a good deal of bugs during the freeze.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have a fantastic Jetpack beta group that we pass releases out to and explain everything new that&#8217;s coming,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Some of the edge cases they turn up just blow my mind.&#8221; Having that cushion of time to focus on compatibility and cross testing is essential to mitigating Jetpack&#8217;s conflicts with other plugins.</p>
<p>&#8220;<span class="pullquote alignleft">Very small issues become very big issues when you&#8217;re running at scale with millions of users</span>,&#8221; Stephanis said. &#8220;If something is only hitting one tenth of one percent, guess what, that&#8217;s a couple thousand users now.&#8221;</p>
<p>With an ever growing user base, the cost of a mistake or conflict gets even more expensive in terms of support. This is where the Jetpack team has learned that not rushing really pays off. The goal, in the end, is not about hitting a release date but rather providing a smooth experience with the release.</p>
<h3>Overcoming Negative Perceptions of Jetpack</h3>
<p>One of the constant struggles for the Jetpack team is addressing the negative perceptions of the plugin, especially criticism from the development community.</p>
<p>&#8220;There are still a lot of folks who don&#8217;t understand what we&#8217;re actually trying to accomplish,&#8221; Stephanis said. &#8220;I occasionally get questions like, &#8216;With as many things as Jetpack is doing, how are individual plugin authors meant to in any way compete against this?&#8217;</p>
<p>&#8220;The answer to that is we do a lot of general things aimed at raising the tide that lifts all the ships, but we don&#8217;t go in any way in depth. For example, I don&#8217;t think the contact form module in Jetpack has in any way hindered the sales of Gravity Forms.</p>
<p>&#8220;Developers still have the ability to pick one aspect and go incredibly in depth on it &#8211; yes, we have related posts, but if someone wants to do a plugin that just does related posts and really knocks it out of the park, we&#8217;ll be able to get folks started on the idea of it. Then they&#8217;ll get comfortable and will be much more willing to move to a premium version that they find elsewhere.&#8221;</p>
<p>Stephanis also emphasized Jetpack&#8217;s extensibility. Plugin authors are even at liberty to utilize the WordPress.com infrastructure while extending Jetpack features. Despite having 36 different modules, the goal has never been to add every possible feature.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of the things we fight perception-wise is the concept that Jetpack is bloated,&#8221; Stephanis said. &#8220;Which is an easy thing to think when you see what appears to be 30 some different plugins that you to turn on and off.</p>
<p>&#8220;When they all tie together with the common core, one plugin can be just one line of code or one plugin could be humongous. It&#8217;s very easy to fall into the idea of: &#8216;I turn off a plugin and that&#8217;s going to make my site go faster, right?&#8217; But the fact of the matter is that everything we do in WordPress and life is always going to be a matter of trade offs.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you do something else, it&#8217;s going to affect your site in some fashion. Just by the very fact that you&#8217;re adding some level of complexity. It&#8217;s more of a question of if you want this feature what&#8217;s the best trade off you can get for it. Sam ran a <a href="https://bruteprotect.com/the-jetpack-bloat-myth/" target="_blank">couple</a> <a href="http://bruteprotect.com/jetpack-bloat-myth-followup-more-data/" target="_blank">comparisons</a> and published them on the group blog comparing our commenting form and several of our other features to WP plugins. In comparison, we wind up coming out a little bit ahead.&#8221;</p>
<p>The download size of Jetpack, currently at 8.2MB, is often a concern for many users.</p>
<p>&#8220;The code base gets a lot of misunderstanding,&#8221; Stephanis said. &#8220;The translations are about 2/3 of it and the Custom CSS module includes a megabyte in and of itself, because we include some JavaScript and CSS to make it pretty as you&#8217;re editing it, SASS and Less precompilers, the CSS sanitization library, all of which for the vast majority of page views isn&#8217;t even loaded.&#8221;</p>
<p>At the moment, three quarters of Jetpack sites are using English, which means that two thirds of the download size is irrelevant to three quarters of Jetpack users. Getting translations on demand is a major goal for the plugin, but the team has to work with WordPress.org to make it happen.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are waiting on support from WordPres.org to let us use a GlotPress instance to manage our translation flow and then it&#8217;s just a quick switch to start serving it up on their end,&#8221; Stephanis said.</p>
<p>Until that is resolved, the cost of supporting a global user base will continue to be an extra 5MB on the initial download. Apart from some vocal opposition from developers, most Jetpack users do not seem to mind the size of the download or the number of modules. The features it provides in one package are too compelling and convenient for most of the plugin&#8217;s users to notice the download size.</p>
<p>Jetpack also gives self-hosted sites access to the infrastructure available on WordPress.com for features that might otherwise create a toll on budget hosting providers, such as related posts and the free Photon CDN. However, Stephanis believes that the quality of maintenance and support are the most compelling reasons to use Jetpack.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of the biggest gripes most folks have with the WordPress.org plugin repository is that there are so many abandoned plugins,&#8221; he said. &#8220;These are plugins that either have bugs and never get attention or plugins that, if something breaks, you can never get support.</p>
<p>&#8220;By far the biggest advantage and the best reason to use Jetpack is the fact that we have 20 active developers between Beau&#8217;s team and the pit crew itself, and an active crew of about 10 support folks that are daily focused on enriching the experience, fixing any issues that come up. That, by far, to me is the biggest selling point, the biggest advantage over using 30 different plugins where the code quality may be more questionable.&#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:"Mon, 13 Apr 2015 22:22:47 +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:31:"Matt: John Oliver meets Snowden";s: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=44940";s: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:47:"http://ma.tt/2015/04/john-oliver-meets-snowden/";s: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:221:"<p>John Oliver is pretty much always fun to watch, but you should especially send this episode to everyone you know, it&#8217;s important for people to see and understand it.</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:"Mon, 13 Apr 2015 04:30:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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: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:30:"Matt: Apple Watch Horror Story";s: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=44945";s: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://ma.tt/2015/04/apple-watch-horror-story/";s: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:735:"<p>Read through <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/tech/a-horror-story-constructed-entirely-from-actual-115916627734.html">this amazing horror story constructed of actual sentences (with links) from reviews of the Apple Watch</a>. (Hat tip: <a href="http://laughingsquid.com/sentences-from-apple-watch-reviews-reconstructed-into-a-strange-horror-story-about-technology/">Laughing Squid</a>.) As for me? I <a href="https://matt.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/trying-on-apple-watch/">tried on the Watch yesterday</a> and was very impressed, I&#8217;ll be getting one as soon as I can once they&#8217;re available. I would have picked up one of the new Macbooks as well if it was available, but the stores had them on display but none in stock.</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, 11 Apr 2015 16:41:55 +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: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:88:"WPTavern: Visualize the Disk Space Used on Your Site with the Disk Usage Sunburst 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=41934";s: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:98:"http://wptavern.com/visualize-the-disk-space-used-on-your-site-with-the-disk-usage-sunburst-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:2111:"<p><a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/disk-usage-sunburst/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/disk-usage-sunburst/">Disk Usage Sunburst</a> is a new plugin created by <a title="https://profiles.wordpress.org/raidboxes/" href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/raidboxes/">Raidboxes</a> that enables you to visualize the disk spaced used by your WordPress site. After installing and activating the plugin, you&#8217;ll find the sunburst chart under the <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/disk-usage-sunburst/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/disk-usage-sunburst/">Tools &#8211; Disk Usage</a> menu.</p>
<p>A sunburst chart is generated in SVG format that displays the amount of disk space used by each directory and file. The chart takes a little while to get used to as it&#8217;s an alternate way of browsing directories and files. Click any of the arches to browse deeper into a directory. Clicking the center circle will take you back a directory.</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/SunburstDiskUsage.png" rel="prettyphoto[41934]"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41980" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/SunburstDiskUsage.png?resize=888%2C798" alt="Suburst Disk Usage" /></a>One thing I noticed during testing, is that there&#8217;s no visual indication when you click on an arch. There&#8217;s also a delay when selecting an arch since it takes time to render the chart. There might be a bigger impact on performance for sites with large file and directory structures.</p>
<p>In future updates, I&#8217;d like to see a list of shortcuts such as, largest file, largest directory, etc. This would make it quick to view pertinent information and give users an idea on how the chart works. I&#8217;d also like to see improvements to speed and performance. Disk Usage Sunburst serves its purpose and works fine on WordPress 4.2. You can <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/disk-usage-sunburst/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/disk-usage-sunburst/">download it for free</a> from the WordPress 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:"Sat, 11 Apr 2015 04:28:20 +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:"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:75:"WPTavern: BuddyPress 2.2.2 Released Addresses Two Potential Security Issues";s: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=41976";s: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/buddypress-2-2-2-released-addresses-two-potential-security-issues";s: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:1890:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BuddyPressFeaturedImage.png" rel="prettyphoto[41976]"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41978" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BuddyPressFeaturedImage.png?resize=828%2C265" alt="BuddyPress Featured Image" /></a>BuddyPress 2.2.2 <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress/">is available</a> from the WordPress plugin directory. It fixes two potential security issues and has a few bug fixes. This is what is fixed in 2.2.2.</p>
<ul>
<li>Activity: sanitize output of “Load More” link</li>
<li>Members: better nonce check on members widget</li>
<li>Core: improve filtering of wp_title</li>
</ul>
<p>The security issues were responsibly disclosed by Todd Gibson and Justin Heideman. I jokingly asked BuddyPress lead developer, John James Jacoby, about releasing security fixes on a Friday evening. He said he&#8217;d rather be annoying than irresponsible.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" width="550"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/jeffr0">@jeffr0</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/imath">@imath</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/tw2113">@tw2113</a> I'd rather do the right thing and be annoying than not and be irresponsible.</p>
<p>&mdash; John James Jacoby (@JJJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/JJJ/status/586708832874803200">April 11, 2015</a></p></blockquote>
<p></p>
<p>If I used BuddyPress, I&#8217;d want security fixes as soon as they&#8217;re available. Thanks to Jacoby and the rest of the BuddyPress team for helping to keep sites safe no matter what time of day it is. You can <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress/">download BuddyPress 2.2.2</a> from the WordPress plugin directory, or visit Dashboard &#8211; Updates in the WordPress backend.</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, 11 Apr 2015 03:29:06 +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: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: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:38:"Matt: Ambiguity and the Art of Meaning";s: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=44919";s: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:54:"http://ma.tt/2015/04/ambiguity-and-the-art-of-meaning/";s: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:620:"<blockquote><p>Ambiguity. It’s the defining characteristic of this age. Yesterday offered many certainties. A secure job, stable income, lasting community…a predictable economy, culture, society. But that’s not the case anymore. Something surrounds us, permeating our worlds, defining our lives; though we call it by different names. Economic uncertainty; social instability; political unpredictability. All simply different kinds of ambiguity.</p></blockquote>
<p>Umair Haque writes on <a href="https://medium.com/bad-words/ambiguity-and-the-art-of-meaning-b70f500ab67f">Ambiguity and the Art of Meaning</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:"Sat, 11 Apr 2015 03:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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: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:73:"WPTavern: New Plugin Adds a WhatsApp Button to Jetpack’s Sharing Module";s: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=41939";s: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:80:"http://wptavern.com/new-plugin-adds-a-whatsapp-button-to-jetpacks-sharing-module";s: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:3474:"<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/jetpack-whatsapp.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41939]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/jetpack-whatsapp.jpg?resize=703%2C300" alt="jetpack-whatsapp" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41959" /></a></p>
<p>Facebook shocked the world when it <a href="http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2014/02/facebook-to-acquire-whatsapp/" target="_blank">acquired WhatsApp</a> for $19 billion dollars in February 2014. As of January 2015, the app&#8217;s user base has grown to more than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_virtual_communities_with_more_than_100_million_active_users" target="_blank">700 million active users</a>, making it the third largest social network on the planet.</p>
<p>Last year very few WordPress sharing plugins prioritized adding WhatsApp, despite its enormous popularity. This has gradually improved in 2015, as more than two dozen social plugins on WordPress.org now include a WhatsApp sharing button.</p>
<p>A new plugin released today brings WhatsApp sharing capabilities to Jetpack, which surprisingly doesn&#8217;t include this by default. A <a href="https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/issues/755" target="_blank">ticket</a> was opened on Jetpack&#8217;s GitHub account to request this feature, but Jetpack representatives recommended that the service be added as a separate plugin.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/whatsapp-jetpack-button/" target="_blank">WhatsApp Sharing Button for Jetpack</a> was created by Brazilian WordPress developer <a href="http://valeriosouza.com.br/" target="_blank">Valerio Souza</a>. It works seamlessly with the sharing module&#8217;s drag-and-drop configuration and uses the same design style as the other buttons.</p>
<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/whatsapp-sharing.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41939]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/whatsapp-sharing.jpg?resize=973%2C560" alt="whatsapp-sharing" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41942" /></a></p>
<p>After testing the plugin I discovered that the WhatsApp sharing button is intuitively hidden on the desktop version. Users will only see it if viewing a post from a mobile device, including smartphones and tablets. If you don&#8217;t see the button on mobile, make sure you meet the plugin&#8217;s minimum requirements: PHP 5.4+, MySQL 5.5+, WordPress 3.8+.</p>
<p>I&#8217;d like to see Jetpack add more sharing options for messaging apps. These social networks generally provide a more personal avenue for sharing a post, as opposed to publicly broadcasting to Twitter or Facebook. As an enthusiastic <a href="https://telegram.org/" target="_blank">Telegram</a> user, I&#8217;d love to see a similar plugin created for it.</p>
<p>A service with 700+ million active users is one social network you can no longer afford to ignore when it comes to sharing, especially if your blog enjoys a global audience. WhatsApp users&#8217; geographical distribution is heaviest in <a href="http://www.wired.com/2014/02/whatsapp-rules-rest-world/" target="_blank">India, Brazil, and Mexico</a>, three emerging markets where smartphones usage is just now starting to explode. Installing the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/whatsapp-jetpack-button/" target="_blank">WhatsApp Sharing Button for Jetpack</a> plugin may help your posts reach more readers in other parts of the world.</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, 10 Apr 2015 22:57:12 +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:56:"WPTavern: Automattic Sponsors Let’s Encrypt Initiative";s: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=41589";s: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:63:"http://wptavern.com/automattic-sponsors-lets-encrypt-initiative";s: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:4401:"<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/lets-encrypt.png" rel="prettyphoto[41589]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/lets-encrypt.png?resize=650%2C333" alt="lets-encrypt" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41915" /></a></p>
<p>Last November the <a href="https://www.eff.org/" target="_blank">Electronic Frontier Foundation</a> announced <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/11/certificate-authority-encrypt-entire-web" target="_blank">Let’s Encrypt</a>, a new free and open certificate authority for the public. The initiative aims to make trusted certificates available to anyone at no cost.</p>
<p>The idea behind Let&#8217;s Encrypt is to transition as many domains as possible from HTTP to HTTPS by providing a virtually painless one-click enrollment process during the server&#8217;s native installation.</p>
<p><span class="embed-youtube"></span></p>
<p>The Let&#8217;s Encrypt certificate authority is set to launch mid-2015. Last month, Automattic <a href="https://twitter.com/letsencrypt/status/578230030876086272" target="_blank">joined</a> Mozilla, Cisco, EFF and several other organizations as a major sponsor of the initiative. I spoke with <a href="https://barry.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Barry Abrahamson</a>, Chief Systems Wrangler at Automattic, to find out if the company has any plans beyond helping to fund the effort.</p>
<p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t have any concrete plans past the sponsorship at this point, but we hope to help bring SSL support to as many WordPress sites as we can,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Last year Automattic <a href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-com-to-implement-ssl-for-all-subdomains-joins-the-fight-against-mass-surveillance" target="_blank">implemented SSL for all *.wordpress.com subdomains</a> as part of the <a href="https://www.resetthenet.org/" target="_blank">Reset the Net</a> campaign against mass surveillance. The company&#8217;s Akismet product recently <a href="http://wptavern.com/akismet-improves-user-privacy-by-encrypting-api-calls" target="_blank">transitioned all calls to its API to use SSL</a> in order to better secure commenter data.</p>
<p>While many larger WordPress sites have made the move to SSL, the average self-hosted WordPress user is likely to have a tricky time setting it up. That&#8217;s why initiatives like &#8220;Let&#8217;s Encrypt&#8221; are so important.</p>
<p>However, skeptics aren&#8217;t fully convinced that the new certificate authority will make the web any safer from prying government eyes. Privacy advocate Alexander Hanff wrote a <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141120073425-26662417-why-i-won-t-be-using-let-s-encrypt-and-recommend-other-not-to-also" target="_blank">post</a> explaining why he believes that a new super certificate authority will paint a target on those who use it.</p>
<blockquote><p>Certificate Authorities are the weakest link in the digital security chain. They have the power to issue special master keys (for want of better phrase) which allows a third party to pretend to be someone they are not. In essence, this means if compelled by a secret court order, a certificate authority can provide special certificates to any intelligence agency or other law enforcement body, which will allow them to masquerade as someone else (your bank, Facebook, Google &#8211; anyone who uses that certificate authority for their SSL certificates)</p></blockquote>
<p>He notes that secret court orders are almost always accompanied by a gag order so that the certificate authority cannot reveal that they have issued special certificates to the government. If the government has unfettered access to &#8220;super master keys&#8221; for thousands of domains, expedited by a new free certificate authority aiming to &#8220;encrypt the entire web,&#8221; then certificate based encryption is rendered worthless.</p>
<p>The Let&#8217;s Encrypt initiative is positioned to have a radical impact on the number of encrypted sites on the web. Bringing encryption to the masses means that more people will be better protected against attacks such as account hijacking and identity theft. However, if you use the new free certificate authority, it&#8217;s important to understand that your communications may not be secure from government surveillance. Free SSL certificates for everyone will come at a price.</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, 10 Apr 2015 10:10:25 +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:81:"WPTavern: Get Email Alerts for Security Vulnerabilities in Your WordPress Plugins";s: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=41867";s: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:91:"http://wptavern.com/get-email-alerts-for-security-vulnerabilities-in-your-wordpress-plugins";s: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:5115:"<p>WordPress users have been subject to a rash of plugin vulnerabilities over the past couple of months. Some of these vulnerabilities have been so widespread that the <a href="http://wptavern.com/fbi-warns-of-isil-defacement-attacks-on-wordpress-sites" target="_blank">FBI recently warned users of attacks designed to exploit WordPress sites</a>.</p>
<p>Not long after <a href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-publishes-security-white-paper" target="_blank">WordPress published its Security White Paper</a>, an outbreak of issues popped up, starting with a blind SQL injection vulnerability in <a href="http://wptavern.com/blind-sql-injection-vulnerability-discovered-in-wordpress-seo-plugin-by-yoast-immediate-update-recommended" target="_blank">WordPress SEO by Yoast</a>, followed by a <a href="http://wptavern.com/pods-framework-security-release-fixes-severe-vulnerability" target="_blank">security release from the Pods Framework</a>, and a few other plugins containing similar issues.</p>
<p>WordPress.org has not yet created a way to publicly identify the plugins for which its security team is pushing out automatic updates. The process involves coordination with the plugin developer and the core developers who have been allocated to verify and test the vulnerabilities.</p>
<p>Once their automatic update process for mitigating serious vulnerabilities is ironed out, it would be helpful to have a section of WordPress.org dedicated to transparency about which plugins have received these forced automatic updates.</p>
<p>In the meantime, WordPress users need to remain vigilant about staying current with updates. <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/plugin-vulnerabilities/" target="_blank">Plugin Vulnerabilities</a> is a plugin that helps users stay on top of security releases. Once installed on your site, it can automatically detect known security vulnerabilities in any of your installed plugins. It will alert you via the admin and you can also turn on email alerts for notification in your inbox.</p>
<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/plugin-vulnerabilities.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41867]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/plugin-vulnerabilities.jpg?resize=933%2C544" alt="plugin-vulnerabilities" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41874" /></a></p>
<p>The plugin was created <a href="https://www.whitefirdesign.com" target="_blank">White Fir Design</a>, a Colorado-based company that specializes in WordPress security and fixing hacked websites. The company also offers a <a href="https://www.whitefirdesign.com/about/wordpress-security-bug-bounty-program.html" target="_blank">security bug bounty program for WordPress and plugins</a>.</p>
<p>White Fir Design regularly updates the plugin with alerts for new vulnerabilities. The description page gives an overview of the vulnerability stats, as of April 6, 2015:</p>
<ul>
<li>257 vulnerabilities included</li>
<li>61 included vulnerabilities are in the most recent version of plugins (57 of these plugins have been <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/no-longer-in-directory/" target="_blank">removed from the Plugin Directory</a>)</li>
<li>24 vulnerabilities have been <a href="https://www.whitefirdesign.com/blog/2015/03/06/we-have-now-helped-get-16-wordpress-plugin-vulnerabilities-fixed/" target="_blank">fixed in part due to this plugin</a></li>
<li>5 included <a href="https://www.whitefirdesign.com/plugin-vulnerabilities/vulnerabilities-in-wordpress-security-plugins.html" target="_blank">vulnerabilities in security plugins</a></li>
</ul>
<p>The top vulnerability types since the creation of the plugin include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Cross-site request forgery (CSRF)/cross-site scripting (XSS): 52 vulnerabilities</li>
<li>Reflected cross-site scripting (XSS): 45 vulnerabilities</li>
<li>Arbitrary file upload: 45 vulnerabilities</li>
<li>Arbitrary file viewing: 23 vulnerabilities</li>
<li>SQL injection: 16 vulnerabilities</li>
</ul>
<p>The plugin has an admin page listing all vulnerabilities relevant to the plugins you have installed, as well as those that have vulnerabilities in other versions. There will be times when a vulnerability is reported before any update is available, in which case you might want to deactivate and remove the plugin in question.</p>
<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/plugin-vulnerabilities-list.png" rel="prettyphoto[41867]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/plugin-vulnerabilities-list.png?resize=530%2C275" alt="plugin-vulnerabilities-list" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41883" /></a></p>
<p>Updating software for security issues is a natural part of life on the web. With the popularity of WordPress at an all-time high, the discovery of vulnerabilities in core and third party extensions is only going to increase. If you feel overwhelmed by keeping up with security updates, the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/plugin-vulnerabilities/" target="_blank">Plugin Vulnerabilities</a> plugin can help you be more responsive to potential threats.</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, 10 Apr 2015 01:17:35 +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: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:30:"Matt: Jane Doze &amp; CURTAINS";s: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=44937";s: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:40:"http://ma.tt/2015/04/jane-doze-curtains/";s: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:559:"<p>One of my favorite DJ groups <a href="http://www.thejanedoze.com/">the Jane Doze</a>, they have a new original song called Lights Go Down:</p>
<p></p>
<p>It&#8217;s cool to hear and also on <a href="http://hyperurl.co/LGDiTunes">iTunes</a> and <a href="http://hyperurl.co/LGDspotify">Spotify</a>. I great test song for the <a href="http://ma.tt/2015/04/best-headphones-spring-2015-edition/">headphones I talked about yesterday</a>. <img src="http://i2.wp.com/s.ma.tt/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/simple-smile.png?w=604" alt=":)" class="wp-smiley" /></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, 09 Apr 2015 23:40:20 +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: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: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:61:"WPTavern: Critical Security Update For the WP REST API 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=41856";s: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/critical-security-update-for-the-wp-rest-api-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:2112:"<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WPRestAPIFeaturedImage.png" rel="prettyphoto[41856]"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41858" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WPRestAPIFeaturedImage.png?resize=769%2C240" alt="WP Rest API Featured Image" /></a>The WP REST API development team has released a <a title="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/04/09/wp-rest-api-critical-security-release/" href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/04/09/wp-rest-api-critical-security-release/">critical security update</a>. Rachel Baker, one of the lead developers of the WP REST API plugin says, &#8220;The release fixes a serious information disclosure vulnerability, which allowed for unpublished content and post revisions to be retrieved via the REST API.&#8221; The security vulnerability affects versions 1.2.0 and earlier.</p>
<p>The security update was coordinated by the REST API and the WordPress core security team. The WordPress core security team is pushing out automatic updates for each branch. There are packages for 1.2.1, 1.1.3, 1.0.2, 0.9.2, and 0.8.2.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re using WP REST API version 1.2.0 or earlier, don&#8217;t wait for the auto update. Instead, manually update as soon as possible. You can update by browsing to Dashboard &#8211; Updates in the WordPress backend, download it from <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/json-rest-api/">the plugin directory</a> (<a href="https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/json-rest-api.latest-stable.zip">zip</a>), or pull it <a href="https://github.com/WP-API/WP-API/tags">from GitHub.</a></p>
<p>In addition to the WP REST API plugin, <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-contact-forms/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-contact-forms/">Custom Contact Forms</a> and <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/reactor-core/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/reactor-core/">Reactor: Core, </a>have pushed out security updates related to the WP REST API vulnerability. If you use any of the plugins mentioned above, please update as soon as possible.</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, 09 Apr 2015 21:45:16 +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: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:57:"WPTavern: Give: A New Free Donations 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=41772";s: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/give-a-new-free-donations-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:5787:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/give-plugin.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41772]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/give-plugin.jpg?resize=683%2C300" alt="give-plugin" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41830" /></a></p>
<p>The new <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/give/" target="_blank">Give</a> WordPress plugin launched this week on WordPress.org. As far as donation plugins go, this one is making a big splash with its 0% commission charge approach. Any site using the plugin can collect 100% of the donations given, as opposed to online donation sites that generally keep a portion of funds raised.</p>
<p><a href="https://givewp.com/" target="_blank">Give</a> aims to &#8220;Democratize Generosity,&#8221; a nod to the mission of WordPress. The plugin was created to empower causes and non-profits with the ability to host their own donation forms, easily manage reporting and customize emails directly within the WordPress admin.</p>
<p>Give supports the creation of flexible forms, so that you can accept payments of different amounts or allow users to set a custom amount. Developers can also easily add custom form fields.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/give-plugin-screenshot.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41772]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/give-plugin-screenshot.jpg?resize=779%2C469" alt="give-plugin-screenshot" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41841" /></a></p>
<p>The plugin is built by the folks behind <a href="http://wordimpress.com/" target="_blank">WordImpress</a>. Co-founder <a href="https://twitter.com/learnwithmattc" target="_blank">Matt Cromwell</a> said that they naturally fell into the donations niche after many frustrating experiences supporting non-profits without donation-specific tools.</p>
<p>&#8220;Devin and I both worked with non-profits before WordImpress and struggled with donations every time,&#8221; Cromwell said. &#8220;One client we still serve manages donations with a mess of WooCommerce/Donation Extensions/Subscription Extension/QuickCheckout. Small bugs in one make the whole thing break down. Plus, you don&#8217;t get good reporting on total donations, or donations per donor, and you have to tweak the language strings everywhere.&#8221;</p>
<p>Despite a plethora of donation plugins on WordPress.org and donation features integrated into some of the major e-commerce options, the Give team saw an opportunity for a more solid, streamlined approach for collecting and managing donations.</p>
<p>&#8220;We felt like this was a space that really needed a robust &#8211; but best practices &#8211; solution, and Woo and EDD and GForms were just not made for this purpose,&#8221; Cromwell said.</p>
<h3>Adopting the Freemium Model: Free Core Plugin + Commercial Extensions</h3>
<p>The team behind Give hopes to monetize the plugin by selling <a href="https://givewp.com/addons" target="_blank">add-ons</a>, the same model used successfully by Easy Digital Downloads, WooCommerce, and other products. Creating a free core product with commercial extensions is becoming an increasingly more popular way of making a business out of developing open source software.</p>
<p>The core plugin currently supports offline payments and the PayPal Standard payment gateway. Commercial add-ons are available for others, including Stripe, WePay, Authorize.net, Paymill, and PayPal Pro. Offline payments can be useful for sites that are taking registration at events or for people who would prefer to mail a check.</p>
<p>The Give plugin actually borrows a good deal of its code base from Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) and its gateways, which gave the team a bit of a head start. Trimming it down and writing donation-specific code for the core and gateways was the bulk of the effort.</p>
<p>&#8220;All together, development of the core plugin, current add-ons, and the website has taken Devin and I roughly 6 months,&#8221; Cromwell said. &#8220;Of course that&#8217;s while maintaining our current sales and support of our existing products and initiating a few other new avenues we&#8217;re headed into (specifically themes).&#8221;</p>
<p>The Give plugin team plans to create themes for non-profits that will work seamlessly with the Give plugin. &#8220;Themes are a great market, but we want to make sure we do it right, so we&#8217;re taking our time there,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Cromwell reports that sales for the add-ons have been slow so far, and WordPress.org shows less than 10 active installations using the plugin. The team is hopeful that the core plugin will gain more users and that in the future they will be able to transition Give development and support into more of a full-time effort.</p>
<p>&#8220;We believe it will take off well,&#8221; Cromwell said. &#8220;We think of our business as setting up &#8216;tent poles&#8217;. For WordImpress, QuickCheckout has been our best tent pole. But now we&#8217;re hoping that Give will become the biggest tent pole that helps raise all others. It&#8217;s another piece of our brand that we&#8217;re really proud of.&#8221;</p>
<p>The team behind Give partnered with <a href="http://girldevelopit.com/" target="_blank">Girl Develop It</a> to support women interested in learning how to code. If you want to see how the plugin works, check out the <a href="https://givewp.com/demo/" target="_blank">live demo</a> built to support their partnership. There you can see different variations of the forms and custom form fields in action. Give is available for download on both <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/give/" target="_blank">WordPress.org</a> and <a href="https://github.com/WordImpress/Give" 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, 09 Apr 2015 19:32:55 +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:86:"WPTavern: WPWeekly Episode 187 – The Pain Points of WordPress with Bob Dunn of BobWP";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"guid";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:44:"http://wptavern.com?p=41813&preview_id=41813";s: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/wpweekly-episode-187-the-pain-points-of-wordpress-with-bob-dunn-of-bobwp";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:3698:"<p>This week, <a title="http://marcuscouch.com/" href="http://marcuscouch.com/">Marcus Couch</a> and I are joined by WordPress trainer and coach, <a title="http://bobwp.com/" href="http://bobwp.com/">Bob Dunn</a>. Dunn provides WordPress training through workshops, one-on-one training, and tutorials. I enjoy interviewing WordPress trainers and coaches because they have unique insight into the trouble spots users experience with WordPress.</p>
<p>We discuss some of the most common pain points people experience using WordPress including, learning the difference between posts and pages, using the visual editor, and best practices for making changes to themes. Dunn explains why there will always be a need for WordPress training. He also explains that people learn things differently, which is confirmed based on the <a title="http://wptavern.com/bob-dunns-survey-shows-text-and-screenshots-are-the-preferred-way-to-learn-wordpress" href="http://wptavern.com/bob-dunns-survey-shows-text-and-screenshots-are-the-preferred-way-to-learn-wordpress">results of his latest survey</a>.</p>
<h2>Stories Discussed:</h2>
<p><a title="http://wptavern.com/pressthis-revamped-with-a-new-user-interface-and-minimalist-design" href="http://wptavern.com/pressthis-revamped-with-a-new-user-interface-and-minimalist-design">PressThis Revamped with a New User Interface and Minimalist Design</a><br />
<a title="http://wptavern.com/themereview-co-expands-services-to-include-plugin-reviews" href="http://wptavern.com/themereview-co-expands-services-to-include-plugin-reviews">ThemeReview.co Expands Services to Include Plugin Reviews</a><br />
<a title="http://wptavern.com/emoji-enables-wordpress-to-natively-support-chinese-korean-and-japanese-characters" href="http://wptavern.com/emoji-enables-wordpress-to-natively-support-chinese-korean-and-japanese-characters">WordPress 4.2 Will Natively Support Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Characters</a><br />
<a title="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-core-team-announces-release-leads-for-wordpress-4-3-and-4-4" href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-core-team-announces-release-leads-for-wordpress-4-3-and-4-4">WordPress Core Team Announces Release Leads for WordPress 4.3 and 4.4</a></p>
<h2>Plugins Picked By Marcus:</h2>
<p><a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/disk-usage-sunburst/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/disk-usage-sunburst/">Disk Usage Sunburst</a> allows you to visualize and drill down the disk usage of your whole WordPress installation.</p>
<p><a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/download-media-library/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/download-media-library/">Download Media Library</a> enables you to download the files from the Media Library in ZIP format.</p>
<p><a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/tracking-code-manager/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/tracking-code-manager/">Tracking Code Manager</a> manages all of your tracking code and conversion pixels. It&#8217;s compatible with Facebook Ads, Google Adwords and several different SaaS tools.</p>
<h2>WPWeekly Meta:</h2>
<p><strong>Next Episode:</strong> Wednesday, April 15th 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>
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<p><strong>Listen To Episode #187:</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, 09 Apr 2015 06:59:13 +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:"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: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:92:"WPTavern: Stack Overflow Developer Survey Ranks WordPress as the 3rd Most Dreaded Technology";s: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=41651";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:102:"http://wptavern.com/stack-overflow-developer-survey-ranks-wordpress-as-the-3rd-most-dreaded-technology";s: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:6209:"<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/stack-overflow-developer-survey-2015.png" rel="prettyphoto[41651]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/stack-overflow-developer-survey-2015.png?resize=700%2C287" alt="stack-overflow-developer-survey-2015" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41740" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://stackoverflow.com/" target="_blank">Stack Overflow</a> has released the results of its <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/research/developer-survey-2015" target="_blank">2015 developer survey</a>, which covers a wide range of topics including preferred programming languages, education, compensation, and even caffeine consumption. The 45-question survey ran for just two weeks in February and the site was able to collect results from more than 26,000 participants.</p>
<p>Obviously, Stack Overflow survey respondents do not represent a perfect cross section of all developers worldwide, and the overview clearly states the results are skewed by selection bias and language bias, among other biases. However, the site does reach a massive audience of developers, with 32 million visits per month, 25 million of which are return visitors.</p>
<p>The vast majority of respondents were male (92.1%) who describe their profession as &#8220;Full-stack web developer&#8221; (32.4%), the largest section, followed by student (13.6%), back-end web developer (10.1%), and mobile developer (9.1%).</p>
<p>WordPress was highlighted as one of the <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/research/developer-survey-2015#tech-super" target="_blank">most dreaded technologies</a> of those surveyed, trailing Visual Basic and Salesforce. The term &#8220;most dreaded&#8221; was used to indicate the &#8220;% of devs who are developing with the language or tech but have not expressed interest in continuing to do so.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/most-dreaded.png" rel="prettyphoto[41651]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/most-dreaded.png?resize=1025%2C751" alt="most-dreaded" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41749" /></a></p>
<p>Given that Stack Overflow generally attracts English-speaking, full-stack developers who enjoy its gamified question and answer format, it&#8217;s not surprising that you would find WordPress listed among the most dreaded technologies.</p>
<p>There are many things that are done &#8220;the WordPress way,&#8221; which prevent developers from quickly jumping in when they are new to the platform. WordPress&#8217; unwavering commitment to backwards compatibility is also a major turn off for many developers. However, WordPress usage stats, currently at <a href="http://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_management/all" target="_blank">23.7&amp; of all websites</a>, continue to climb higher due to the project&#8217;s deep commitment to its users.</p>
<h3>Useful Bits for Employers and Job Hunters</h3>
<p>The Stack Overflow survey may be heavily skewed towards a specific range of developers with similar backgrounds, but the results contain quite a bit of useful information for employers looking to hire developers and for individuals in search of a job.</p>
<p>For example, the results revealed that &#8220;50% of developers say working remote is at least somewhat important.&#8221; The overview advises employers to strongly consider offering the ability to work remotely. <strong>&#8220;Note to companies trying to hire: if your job listing doesn&#8217;t include remote, you could be cutting your possible applicant pool in half.&#8221;</strong></p>
<p>Stack Overflow is also able to interpret that data in interesting ways based on users&#8217; experience points on the site. They found that those with the most experience points said that being able to work remotely was non-negotiable.</p>
<p>Based on 16,522 responses, the results indicate that the average developer spends 7+ hours per week coding on the side. &#8220;70% of respondents reported that they spend 2 or more hours per week programming either as a hobby or working on open source software. 20% of respondents spend more than 10 hours programming away from work.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/side-projects.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41651]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/side-projects.jpg?resize=715%2C373" alt="side-projects" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41803" /></a></p>
<p>If you&#8217;re a developer hunting for a job and you&#8217;re not spending your free time contributing to open source projects or building your own software, your resume and experience may not be as attractive as others who are active on projects outside of work.</p>
<p>The survey also provides a comprehensive breakdown of compensation by <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/research/developer-survey-2015#work-complang" target="_blank">technology</a>, <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/research/developer-survey-2015#work-compensation-geo" target="_blank">purchasing power</a>, <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/research/developer-survey-2015#work-compensation-remote" target="_blank">remote status</a>, and <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/research/developer-survey-2015#work-compensation-so" target="_blank">Stack Overflow reputation</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/compensation.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41651]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/compensation.jpg?resize=713%2C605" alt="compensation" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41806" /></a></p>
<p>Compensation by purchasing power indicates that Ukraine is the top place for developers to live and work, followed by South Africa, USA, Australia, and Russia. If you&#8217;re thinking about relocating, these results might give you more factors to consider.</p>
<p>For more information on employment status, job satisfaction, and developers&#8217; preferred text editor, IDE, and source control, check out the <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/research/developer-survey-2015" target="_blank">full survey results</a> on StackOverflow.com.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 08 Apr 2015 22:49:22 +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: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:80:"WPTavern: Microsoft’s Open Source Progress and Its Relationship with 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=41769";s: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:87:"http://wptavern.com/microsofts-open-source-progress-and-its-relationship-with-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:6783:"<p>For years, Microsoft and open source have rarely been used in the same sentence. With <a title="http://news.microsoft.com/ceo/announcement/index.html" href="http://news.microsoft.com/ceo/announcement/index.html">new leadership</a>, the company has made major strides in becoming part of the <a title="http://opensource.org/" href="http://opensource.org/">open source movement</a>.</p>
<p>Late last year, the <a title="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2846892/microsoft-open-sources-net-server-stack.html" href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2846892/microsoft-open-sources-net-server-stack.html">company announced</a> its .NET server stack would be open source, enabling .NET to become a cross-platform framework. The company has placed thousands of open source repositories on <a title="https://github.com/Microsoft" href="https://github.com/Microsoft">its Github account</a>. When asked if Windows could one day be open source, Mark Russinovich, one of Microsoft&#8217;s top engineers says, &#8220;<a title="http://www.wired.com/2015/04/microsoft-open-source-windows-definitely-possible/" href="http://www.wired.com/2015/04/microsoft-open-source-windows-definitely-possible/">It’s definitely possible, it’s a new Microsoft.</a>&#8221; Microsoft <a title="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/openness/default1.aspx#opensource" href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/openness/default1.aspx#opensource">even has a website</a> that explains its strategy and showcases open source projects its involved with.</p>
<h2>Microsoft Azure Teams Up with WordPress</h2>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/MicrosoftAzureLogo.png" rel="prettyphoto[41769]"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41786" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/MicrosoftAzureLogo.png?resize=799%2C150" alt="MicrosoftAzureLogo" /></a></p>
<p>I initially noticed the company&#8217;s change in attitude towards open source in 2009 when Microsoft&#8217;s chief technology officer, Ray Ozzie, announced at the Professional Developers Conference <a href="http://www.betanews.com/article/Live-from-the-PDC-2009-Day-1-keynote/1258475450" target="_blank">that WordPress could be run using the Azure platform</a>. <a title="https://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/" href="https://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/">Windows Azure</a> is a cloud platform that enables you to build, deploy, and manage WordPress sites across a global network of Microsoft-managed data centers. In <a href="https://vip.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/wordpress-and-windows-azure/">a post </a>on the WordPress.com VIP blog, Matt Mullenweg explained why it&#8217;s a good move.</p>
<blockquote><p>WordPress and Windows Azure probably aren’t the first two things you’d think of together. WordPress has been free and open source software from the very beginning, Windows not so much, but we’ve always supported as many platforms as possible and for at least 4 years now you could run WP on Windows and IIS (Internet Information Services).</p>
<p>Choice and competition are great for spurring innovation and better for users and I believe open source software is a good thing even if it’s on a proprietary platform. (Just like we have an open source <a href="http://iphone.wordpress.org/">iPhone application</a>, or encourage people to use <a href="http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/">Firefox</a> on Windows.)</p></blockquote>
<h2>Supporting the WordPress Community</h2>
<p>Since 2009, Microsoft has sponsored several WordCamps, meetups, and WordPress specific events. I remember attending a WordCamp in 2010 sponsored by Microsoft and joking with attendees that it must be a mistake.</p>
<p>However, one of Microsoft&#8217;s representatives was in attendance and assured me that the company was changing its position on open source and sponsoring WordCamps was a good way to spread the message.</p>
<h2>Examples of Microsoft Using WordPress</h2>
<p><a title="http://webdevstudios.com/" href="http://webdevstudios.com/">WebDevStudios</a>, a company that specializes in web development using WordPress, has migrated several of Microsoft&#8217;s key websites to WordPress. In late 2014, <a title="http://news.microsoft.com" href="http://news.microsoft.com">Microsoft&#8217;s News Center</a> re-launched on WordPress. The <a title="http://webdevstudios.com/portfolio/microsoft-news-center/" href="http://webdevstudios.com/portfolio/microsoft-news-center/">work involved</a> a custom design and complex data migration from a proprietary CMS to WordPress, across 38 sites, in 16 different languages.</p>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/MicrosoftNewsCenter.png" rel="prettyphoto[41769]"><img class="size-full wp-image-41783" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/MicrosoftNewsCenter.png?resize=1025%2C758" alt="The new Microsoft News Center" /></a>The new Microsoft News Center
<p>Around the same time, the company migrated <a title="http://www.microsoft.eu/" href="http://www.microsoft.eu/">Microsoft Europe </a>to WordPress. Microsoft Europe focuses on Connected Lifestyles, What’s Next, Transforming Business, and Impact on Society for European countries.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/MicrosoftEurope.png" rel="prettyphoto[41769]"><img class="size-full wp-image-41784" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/MicrosoftEurope.png?resize=1025%2C856" alt="The new Microsoft Europe" /></a>The new Microsoft Europe
<p>The <a title="http://blogs.windows.com/" href="http://blogs.windows.com/">Microsoft Windows blog</a> is a WordPress multisite network devoted to Windows and Internet Explorer topics. The blogs within the network are in multiple foreign languages that focus on content related to that region of the world.</p>
<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Microsoftblogs.png" rel="prettyphoto[41769]"><img class="size-full wp-image-41785" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Microsoftblogs.png?resize=1025%2C531" alt="Microsoft Blogs uses WordPress Multisite" /></a>Microsoft Blogs uses WordPress Multisite
<h2>The Last Laugh</h2>
<p>It&#8217;s impressive to think how much Microsoft has changed to entertain the idea of open sourcing Windows. In 2007, when <a title="http://ma.tt/2007/10/microsoft-open-source/" href="http://ma.tt/2007/10/microsoft-open-source/">Mullenweg predicted</a> that Microsoft will open source its software by 2017, I thought it was one of the funniest posts I&#8217;ve ever read. After witnessing the progress the company has made and <a title="http://openness.microsoft.com/blog/" href="http://openness.microsoft.com/blog/">continues to make</a>, it&#8217;s possible he might have the last laugh.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 08 Apr 2015 22:07:01 +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:"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:41:"Matt: Best Headphones Spring 2015 Edition";s: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=44914";s: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:57:"http://ma.tt/2015/04/best-headphones-spring-2015-edition/";s: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:4526:"<p>Since my <a href="http://ma.tt/2014/10/beats-studio-wireless-vs-samsung-level-over/">last headphone post</a> I&#8217;ve been trying out lots of different models, and have settled on two new ones as my daily drivers: the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IYA2ZJW">PowerBeats 2</a> and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SNI44CQ">Sennheiser Momentum 2 Wireless</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://ma.tt/files/2015/04/beats_by_dre_pr_sentiert_lebron_james_in_re_established_powerbeats2_wireless_01.jpg"><img class="  wp-image-44929 alignleft" src="https://ma.tt/files/2015/04/beats_by_dre_pr_sentiert_lebron_james_in_re_established_powerbeats2_wireless_01.jpg" alt="beats_by_dre_pr_sentiert_lebron_james_in_re_established_powerbeats2_wireless_01" width="242" height="248" /></a>I&#8217;ll talk about the Beats first because it&#8217;s easy: <a href="http://ma.tt/2014/10/beats-studio-wireless-vs-samsung-level-over/">before I used a Plantronics set for exercise</a>, but the battery life wasn&#8217;t great and they would often fall out when running. The Powerbeats 2 are light, have great battery life (they claim 6 hours, that feels about right), stay in place even when running in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Houston#Summer">the Houston heat</a>, charge fast, and as a bonus they look cool. (Beats has always been great about that.) The sound? They&#8217;re bad, but good at it. There&#8217;s basically no isolation so you can hear traffic and things around you at lower volumes, which is actually a bonus, and if you turn up the volume they get loud enough to drown other stuff out. Buy these for the function, not the sound quality, and you can pick them up from any Best Buy kiosk in the airport or Apple Store if you lose or forget them, so they&#8217;re pretty ubiquitous.</p>
<p><a href="https://ma.tt/files/2015/04/71mNNnOhCKL._SL1500_-2.jpg"><img class="alignright  wp-image-44930" src="https://ma.tt/files/2015/04/71mNNnOhCKL._SL1500_-2-784x740.jpg" alt="71mNNnOhCKL._SL1500_-2" width="360" height="340" /></a>I heard about the Sennheisers from <a href="http://carlhancock.com/">Carl Hancock</a> who tried them and gave them a high recommendation. I had trouble finding them but there was a pair local to me at <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/">B&amp;H in New York</a> so I got them delivered and I was immediately impressed with them. They&#8217;re better than my <a href="http://ma.tt/2014/10/beats-studio-wireless-vs-samsung-level-over/">previous wireless over-ear recommendation the Samsung Level Over</a> in every way: sound, size, compatibility, aesthetics, usability, noise canceling.</p>
<p>The sound is the best I&#8217;ve heard from wireless headphones so far. Just the right balance. The noise canceling apparently uses 4 different mics and I&#8217;ve found it more than sufficient on dozens of plane rides, including passing the noisy baby test. My only complaint is they don&#8217;t &#8220;grip&#8221; my ears as much, so some sound leaks in that way. They fold up to be pretty small, and I just toss them in my backpack. <a href="https://ma.tt/files/2015/04/81FYeTRjv4L._SL1500_-2.jpg"><img class="  wp-image-44931 alignleft" src="https://ma.tt/files/2015/04/81FYeTRjv4L._SL1500_-2-784x740.jpg" alt="81FYeTRjv4L._SL1500_-2" width="252" height="238" /></a>The battery goes <em>forever</em>, or as they claim 22 hours. You really forget to charge these things for a while and they still have plenty of juice. The volume and other controls actually work with the iPhone, and bluetooth calls have sounded great and people can actually hear me. Only downside is they have basically a proprietary connection for their 1/8th inch cable, so you have ta carry that around, but they charge with standard micro-USB. The only possible challenger I can think to these are the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R45Z2WU/">BeoPlay H8s</a>, which I haven&#8217;t tried yet.</p>
<p><strong>tl; dr:</strong> If you want to exercise and get sweaty, get the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IYA2ZJW">Powerbeats 2 in your favorite color</a>. For traveling, listening to music, talking, and generally enjoying amazing sound without worrying about wires, try out the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SNI44CQ">Sennheiser Momentum Wireless</a>.</p>
<p>I think it&#8217;s interesting that both of these recommendations are version 2.0 of a product, it&#8217;s good to see companies iterating and improving on products even if they&#8217;ve already been successful in the marketplace.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 08 Apr 2015 19:34:51 +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: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:51:"WPTavern: Git and WordPress: 3 Tips to Do It Better";s: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=41770";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:60:"http://wptavern.com/git-and-wordpress-3-tips-to-do-it-better";s: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:7018:"<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/petersuhm.jpeg" rel="prettyphoto[41770]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/petersuhm.jpeg?resize=150%2C150" alt="petersuhm" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-40534" /></a>This post was contributed by guest author <a href="http://petersuhm.com/" target="_blank">Peter Suhm</a>. Peter is a web developer from the Land of the Danes. He is the creator of <a href="http://wptavern.com/wp-pusher-aims-to-provide-pain-free-deployment-of-wordpress-themes-and-plugins-from-github" target="_blank">WP Pusher</a> and a huge travel addict, bringing his work along with him as he goes.<br />
&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<p>This article is based on a few ideas, thoughts and opinions I have about Git and WordPress. There is still no de-facto standard for how these things are dealt with in WordPress and I think it is our responsibility, as a community, to have discussions about them. These are my opinions and I would love to hear yours as well.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s get right to it.</p>
<h2>R-E-S-P-E-C-T</h2>
<p>I have ranted about the subject of repository structure before and I have strong opinions about it. In my opinion there is one &#8211; and only one &#8211; way to structure Git repositories in a WordPress context. That one way is the one-package / one-repository approach. Let me explain why.</p>
<p>While working on WP Pusher, I have seen many different approaches to structuring Git repositories. Two approaches are especially common, and, in my opinion, equally bad.</p>
<p>The first one is Git-it-all, where everything, including WordPress core, plugins and themes are put under version control. The other one, and more common, is <code>wp-content</code>-under-version-control. I say that both of them are equally bad, because no matter what, you are going to have a lot of 3rd party code included in your Git repository, which quickly becomes a mess. Every time WordPress or one of your plugins or themes ships a new update, you will have to somehow deal with it within your version control system.</p>
<p>The argument for having WordPress itself under version control is most often to lock down the version of the code. This seems a bit redundant to me, since WordPress is already developed using version control (SVN) and comes with a version number for each update. Why would you need to manage that yourself when it is already managed for you? Today, <a href="https://davidwinter.me/install-and-manage-wordpress-with-composer/" target="_blank">installing WordPress with Composer</a> is super easy and then you can control your version from the <code>composer.json</code> file. There are no excuses. Do not include WordPress in your Git repository.</p>
<p>The second approach, <code>wp-content</code>-under-version-control, is often chosen as an easy way of deploying multiple plugins that might depend on each other. Still, I am not buying it. Having 5, 10, or even 20 Git repositories in your <code>wp-content</code> directory is really not an issue. Also, if your plugins depends on each other, take a look at must-use plugins.</p>
<p>So here is the deal: <strong>You need to treat each of your packages (be it a plugin or a theme) with respect.</strong> You need to give each of them their own Git repository. They are their own entities and needs to be separated. Keeping them locked up together makes it impossible to share code across projects. It is the way Git is supposed to work, it is the way Composer is supposed to work, and it is even the way WordPress itself works.</p>
<h2>To Ignore, Or Not To Ignore</h2>
<p>Yes, that is the question and I do not have the answer. I am, of course, talking about the <code>.gitignore</code> file. The file that tells Git which files and directories to exclude from version control. Actually, the real question is: Should you precompile your dependencies before shipping your plugin, or not? (I will focus on PHP dependencies, since I do not know enough about front-end things.)</p>
<p>In an ideal world, you would never ship something like Composer dependencies with your package. It would be up to the user to compile and fetch those dependencies that fit their specific environment. That is the whole point of dependency management tools. However, in WordPress, there is absolutely no sane way to handle these PHP dependencies. So if you are shipping a WordPress plugin that relies on 3rd party dependencies, I would say &#8220;ship it all&#8221;, even though it feels very wrong and awkward.</p>
<p>This is <strong><em>bad</em></strong>, though, because what happens when Mailchimp for WordPress ships with one Composer package in v1.0.0 and WP Pusher ships with the same package but v2.0.0? Oh, the horror. The plugin that is loaded first will get to autoload its classes. The others will not (since it would result in a &#8220;class exists&#8221; fatal error). I probably do not need to explain why this is bad.</p>
<p>As a WordPress developer, you can try to mitigate this by making sure that the functionality you rely on is actually available at runtime, but this is not optimal. However, I really think this is WordPress&#8217; responsibility. We cannot do PHP without using 3rd party code. That would be stupid. So as I said: No clear answer. I guess it just depends.</p>
<h2>Exporting Repositories aka Zippin&#8217;</h2>
<p>Recently, <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/PHP/comments/2jzp6k/i_dont_need_your_tests_in_my_production/" target="_blank">someone on Reddit</a> proposed that people start to include a <code>.gitattributes</code> file in their repositories, containing export instructions for Git to use when archiving repositories (zipping them). Basically, by specifying it in your <code>.gitattributes</code> file, you can make Git ignore files that you only need for development.</p>
<p>The Reddit thread was specifically targeting authors of packages distributed with Composer, but we can use this trick as well. If you exclude files from exports, they will not appear in the zip archives that you can download from GitHub or Bitbucket. This is nifty, especially if you use a tool like my <a href="https://wppusher.com/" target="_blank">WP Pusher</a> to move files from Git to WordPress, since it can drastically minimize the size of the archive files. No need to ship files such as assets, that are already compiled, and unit tests to end users.</p>
<p>Here is the <code>.gitattributes</code> file for WP Pusher:</p>
<pre class="brush: xml; light: true; title: ; notranslate">/features       export-ignore
/apache-ci.conf export-ignore
/behat.yml      export-ignore
/circle.yml     export-ignore
/composer.json  export-ignore
/composer.lock  export-ignore</pre>
<p>Before I knew about this trick, I manually deleted these files before shipping the plugin. Now it is done automatically.</p>
<p>There you go. Just a few things I want you to think about and consider if you are a WordPress developer using Git. Thanks for reading along.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 08 Apr 2015 18:15:24 +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:74:"WPTavern: Persistent XSS Vulnerability Discovered in WP Super Cache 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=41702";s: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:84:"http://wptavern.com/persistent-xss-vulnerability-discovered-in-wp-super-cache-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:2905:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/wp-super-cache.png" rel="prettyphoto[41702]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/wp-super-cache.png?resize=739%2C296" alt="wp-super-cache" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41755" /></a></p>
<p>The security team at Sucuri has issued an <a href="http://blog.sucuri.net/2015/04/security-advisory-persistent-xss-in-wp-super-cache.html" target="_blank">advisory</a> for WordPress users who have the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-super-cache/" target="_blank">WP Super Cache</a> plugin activated on their sites. The popular caching plugin contains a dangerous persistent XSS vulnerability that was promptly patched in its 1.4.4 release.</p>
<p>Sucuri ranks the risk as &#8220;Dangerous&#8221; with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DREAD:_Risk_assessment_model" target="_blank">DREAD</a> score of 8/10. Exploiting the vulnerability is relatively easy for an attacker intent on injecting a backdoor. Sucuri breaks down the technical details of the threat as follows:</p>
<blockquote><p>Using this vulnerability, an attacker using a carefully crafted query could insert malicious scripts to the plugin’s cached file listing page. As this page requires a valid nonce in order to be displayed, a successful exploitation would require the site’s administrator to have a look at that particular section, manually.</p>
<p>When executed, the injected scripts could be used to perform a lot of other things like adding a new administrator account to the site, injecting backdoors by using WordPress theme edition tools, etc.</p></blockquote>
<p>WP Super Cache is currently in use on more than a million WordPress sites, according to WordPress.org. If someone is looking to exploit the vulnerability in particular, there would be no shortage of sites to prey upon.</p>
<p>In the recent <a href="http://wptavern.com/fbi-warns-of-isil-defacement-attacks-on-wordpress-sites" target="_blank">defacement attacks propagated by ISIL sympathists against WordPress sites</a>, hackers have been capitalizing on the <a href="http://wptavern.com/zero-day-vulnerability-discovered-in-fancybox-for-wordpress-plugin" target="_blank">recent vulnerability found in the Fancy Box for WordPress plugin</a>. With just 100,000+ active installations, potentially vulnerably Fancy Box plugin users come in at a small fraction of those affected by the WP Super Cache security issue.</p>
<p>Short of forcing an automatic plugin update on users, WordPress.org has no way of indicating that one particular plugin update may be more imperative than other routine updates. That&#8217;s why the best practice for site administrators is to keep tabs on your installations and set aside time to update extensions as part of your routine. If you&#8217;re using WP Super Cache, you are advised to update as soon as possible.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 08 Apr 2015 16:30:46 +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:"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: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:32:"Matt: Giving Back to Open Source";s: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=44891";s: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://ma.tt/2015/04/giving-back-to-open-source/";s: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:372:"<blockquote><p>Getting out of our ocean to explore the islands of open source is one of the best ways that we can expand our horizons, strengthen our skill sets, and build better relationships.</p></blockquote>
<p>Pippin on <a href="https://pippinsplugins.com/giving-back-for-the-future-of-open-source/">why giving back to open source has made his company better</a>.</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 08 Apr 2015 04:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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: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:65:"WPTavern: FBI Warns of ISIL Defacement Attacks on 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=41707";s: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/fbi-warns-of-isil-defacement-attacks-on-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:4587:"<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/security.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41707]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/security.jpg?resize=1024%2C514" alt="photo credit: Lock - (license)" class="size-full wp-image-40187" /></a>photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58441544@N00/2660230441">Lock</a> &#8211; <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>
<p>The FBI issued a public service announcement today, <a href="http://www.ic3.gov/media/2015/150407-1.aspx" target="_blank">warning concerning WordPress website attacks</a> being carried out by individuals sympathetic to the Islamic State in the Levant (ISIL) a.k.a. Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS). The perpetrators of these attacks are defacing sites across various platforms such as news organizations, businesses, government sites, and religious institutions.</p>
<p>Last month the would-be terrorists gained infamy by <a href="http://wptavern.com/hackers-hijack-fancybox-plugin-to-deface-wordpress-sites-with-isis-propaganda" target="_blank">hijacking the Fancybox Plugin vulnerability in order to deface sites with ISIS propaganda</a>. This particular vulnerability allows malware (or any random script/content) to be added to the vulnerable site and was most recently identified as the entry point for the hackers who injected iframes with ISIS messages.</p>
<p>A patch exists for the vulnerability and those affected can easily remove the plugin as an alternative. However, many WordPress users are either ignorant of the security issue or indifferent. The FBI&#8217;s announcement serves to warn users of the cost and inconvenience associated with this kind of attack:</p>
<blockquote><p>Although the defacements demonstrate low-level hacking sophistication, they are disruptive and often costly in terms of lost business revenue and expenditures on technical services to repair infected computer systems.</p></blockquote>
<p>The announcement cited multiple plugin vulnerabilities as a security risk to WordPress users but did not identify the plugins for which patches are currently available. Technical details of the brief are limited to a generalized list of consequences should a vulnerable site get hacked:</p>
<blockquote><p>Successful exploitation of the vulnerabilities could result in an attacker gaining unauthorized access, bypassing security restrictions, injecting scripts, and stealing cookies from computer systems or network servers. An attacker could install malicious software; manipulate data; or create new accounts with full user privileges for future Web site exploitation.</p></blockquote>
<p>Since these are low level hackers exploiting the most basic types of vulnerabilities, they are not targeting specific sites but rather knocking down any open door they can find. The announcement notes that all of the victims of the defacements share common WordPress plugin vulnerabilities.</p>
<p>The FBI does not believe that these attacks are actually coming from members of ISIL but instead are coming from hackers using the organization&#8217;s name as a vehicle for greater exposure.</p>
<blockquote><p>The FBI assesses that the perpetrators are not members of the ISIL terrorist organization. These individuals are hackers using relatively unsophisticated methods to exploit technical vulnerabilities and are utilizing the ISIL name to gain more notoriety than the underlying attack would have otherwise garnered.</p></blockquote>
<p>The announcement concludes with a list of general resources for hardening WordPress and identifying vulnerabilities, but the recommendations are vague and non-specific. The best thing that you can do to keep your site safe from these continuing attacks is to make sure you are running the latest version of WordPress. Log in to your sites and update all of your themes and plugins. If you&#8217;re using any commercial plugins or themes, make sure to check for updates in case you are not automatically notified.</p>
<p>All of the vulnerabilities referenced in the FBI warning already have patches, and all you need to do is update your plugins. If you have multiple WordPress sites, consider adding them to a centralized dashboard service such as <a href="http://jetpack.me/support/site-management/" target="_blank">Jetpack Manage</a>, <a href="https://managewp.com/" target="_blank">MangeWP</a>, <a href="https://wpremote.com/" target="_blank">WP Remote</a>, <a href="http://infinitewp.com/" target="_blank">InfiniteWP</a>, or another service of your choosing.</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, 07 Apr 2015 22:36:56 +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:97:"WPTavern: Bob Dunn’s Survey Shows Text and Screenshots are the Preferred Way to Learn 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=41671";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:104:"http://wptavern.com/bob-dunns-survey-shows-text-and-screenshots-are-the-preferred-way-to-learn-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:2455:"<p>Two weeks ago, <a title="http://wptavern.com/take-the-how-do-you-learn-wordpress-survey" href="http://wptavern.com/take-the-how-do-you-learn-wordpress-survey">I asked you</a> to participate in Bob Dunn&#8217;s survey that asked, how do you learn WordPress? Dunn has <a title="http://bobwp.com/how-do-you-learn-wordpress-the-survey-results-infographic/" href="http://bobwp.com/how-do-you-learn-wordpress-the-survey-results-infographic/">published the results</a> to the survey and they&#8217;re not surprising.</p>
<p>Out of 428 responses, 63% learn WordPress best using text and images. Roughly a third of respondents learn best using video tutorials or one-on-one in-person training.</p>
<a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BestWayofLearning.png" rel="prettyphoto[41671]"><img class="size-full wp-image-41692" src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BestWayofLearning.png?resize=784%2C495" alt="Best Way of Learning WordPress" /></a>Best Way of Learning WordPress
<p>People learn things differently, but I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s surprising so many learn best through text and images. It&#8217;s a method humans have used for centuries and is easier to reference compared to audio and video. Dunn offers advice to WordPress coaches and trainers looking at the data from an instructor&#8217;s point of view:</p>
<blockquote><p>If you are looking at this from an instructor’s point of view, I bet you can come up with a lot of other thoughts and maybe even some deep insights. But the fact is, while these numbers can tell us a lot of what the majority of people prefer, as teachers of WordPress, we still need to find the markets that are not being filled, and the offerings that are not over-saturated, no matter what the numbers tell us.</p></blockquote>
<p>To see a visual representation of the results and to read Dunn&#8217;s thoughts on his findings, check out his <a title="http://bobwp.com/how-do-you-learn-wordpress-the-survey-results-infographic/" href="http://bobwp.com/how-do-you-learn-wordpress-the-survey-results-infographic/">latest blog post</a>. Also, be sure to catch <a title="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-weekly" href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-weekly">WordPress Weekly</a> live on Wednesday, April 8th, at 9:30 PM Eastern as Dunn will be our special guest. We&#8217;ll talk about the survey results and discuss common pain points users experience with 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:"Tue, 07 Apr 2015 21:33:20 +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:"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:87:"WPTavern: WordPress 4.2 Introduces Subtle Refinements to the Default Admin Color Scheme";s: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=41644";s: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:97:"http://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-2-introduces-subtle-refinements-to-the-default-admin-color-scheme";s: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:5979:"<p><a href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-3-8-parker-released" target="_blank">WordPress 3.8</a> marked a major milestone for the admin with the inclusion of &#8220;MP6,&#8221; a brand new responsive design and color scheme. By now many users have become accustomed to the color scheme, but <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/2015/04/05/default-admin-color-scheme-update/" target="_blank">4.2 will introduce subtle changes</a> to create a more harmonious color palette.</p>
<p>Over the past several months, <a href="http://hugobaeta.com/" target="_blank">Hugo Baeta</a> has been working to help document and refine the WordPress.org brand. Baeta works as a designer on WordPress.com. Most recently he has been focusing on evolving the brand and preparing its <a href="https://wordpress.com/design-handbook/" target="_blank">design handbook</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the process, things like a unifying typographic modular scale and the Logotype metrics also got some attention &#8211; all in the efforts to unify the brand and make sure it is consistent,&#8221; Baeta said. &#8220;A couple months ago I asked to switch my gears to .org and help the .org universe get a similar treatment.&#8221;</p>
<p>While documenting the colors used by WordPress core, Baeta&#8217;s critical eye for color palettes prompted him to explore some subtle changes that would bring greater harmony to the admin color scheme. If you look carefully, you can see that the new admin colors (on the right) have a more bluish hue than the original MP6 colors (left).</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/color-wpadmin.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41644]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/color-wpadmin.jpg?resize=1025%2C649" alt="color-wpadmin" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41666" /></a></p>
<p>&#8220;The idea was to make the grays look intentional and refined, by bringing out a subtle blue hue to them,&#8221; Baeta said. &#8220;I tried to maintain the value (lightness/darkness) of the colors, so that it would be a &#8216;lateral&#8217; evolution. So, technically there isn&#8217;t much change to contrast.&#8221;</p>
<p>A closer look at the HEX changes side-by-side shows the subtle evolution from dusty greys/blues to a more true blue hue:</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/wp-admin-colors.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41644]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/wp-admin-colors.jpg?resize=741%2C594" alt="wp-admin-colors" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41675" /></a></p>
<p>I asked Baeta what his response would be to those who, like one commenter on the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/2015/04/05/default-admin-color-scheme-update/#comment-24585" target="_blank">announcement post</a>, see the new color scheme as looking &#8220;too bluish.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s all a perception game,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The technical reality is the change is incredibly subtle, but depending on your monitor calibration and the way your eyes see color, you&#8217;ll see more/less blue.</p>
<p>&#8220;Let me give you an example of a specific hue breakdown &#8211; the main sidebar gray:</p>
<p><strong>before:</strong>  rgb(51,51,51)<br />
<strong>after:</strong> rgb(50,55,60)</p>
<p>&#8220;Each channel goes  0-255 &#8211; so you can see how subtle the change is,&#8221; Baeta explained.</p>
<p>Feedback from contributors on the <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/31234" target="_blank">ticket</a> where Baeta proposed the changes was overwhelmingly positive and the new color updates will land in 4.2. Core committer Matt Miklic aptly <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/timeline?from=2015-02-05T00%3A58%3A50Z&precision=second" target="_blank">summarized</a> the overall consensus:</p>
<blockquote><p>My subjective feeling is that the shift in colors is so slight, it doesn’t really change the feeling we intended to convey with the original MP6 colors. If anything, it makes the grays look more intentional, a color palette designed to work harmoniously rather than pairing a signature shade of blue with a lot of neutral grays.</p></blockquote>
<h3>Why It&#8217;s Important for Companies and Projects to Iterate on Branding</h3>
<p>Like it or not, users tend to judge software by how it looks. Even the most minute color choices can affect public perception of an application. Most users are not likely to consciously perceive the changes in this round of WordPress admin iterations, but the improved harmony of the colors will make it easier on the eyes.</p>
<p>Baeta believes that companies and open source projects need to be open to iterating on their branding every now and then to keep pace with where the web is going.</p>
<p>&#8220;I believe a brand is something we should cherish very dearly,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a project/company&#8217;s most recognizable asset, right?  I think iteration should happen in order to achieve refinement and keep a brand relevant.</p>
<p>&#8220;Specially when a brand doesn&#8217;t begin with a strong set of assets and rules, it allows for the people involved to treat it as they think is best. Eventually atrocities like the fauxgo make everyone regret the absence of rules.&#8221;</p>
<p>This is one of the reasons that Baeta is involved in the initiative to document and refine the project&#8217;s brand through contributions to <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/handbook/" target="_blank">WordPress.org&#8217;s Design Handbook</a>. Without clear branding guidelines, anyone can take the logo and colors and alter them in ways that muddle the project&#8217;s brand as a whole.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think the web has evolved greatly since WordPress first started,&#8221; Baeta said. &#8220;WordPress is now a mature project that deserves to have its very recognizable brand refined and documented to make sure it is protected for years to come.&#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:"Tue, 07 Apr 2015 19:06:11 +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: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:29:"Donncha: WP Super Cache 1.4.4";s: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:24:"http://z9.io/?p=89499439";s: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:45:"http://z9.io/2015/04/07/wp-super-cache-1-4-4/";s: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:2258:"<p>WP Super Cache is a full page caching plugin for WordPress. It creates static pages that are served quickly by the web server.</p>
<p><img src="http://i1.wp.com/z9.io/files/2015/04/2015-03-19-1012-m.jpg?resize=660%2C440" alt="Light Trails in Blarney" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89499442" /></p>
<p>Over the weekend there was a flurry of excitement as not one, but two releases of the plugin were made in quick succession. The second <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/print_r-debug-messages-break-pages-with-query-args?replies=7">to fix a bug introduced</a> in the first. I&#8217;m very sorry about that.</p>
<p>WP Super Cache 1.4.3 <a href="http://blog.sucuri.net/2015/04/security-advisory-persistent-xss-in-wp-super-cache.html">fixed a security bug</a> in the cache file listing section of the plugin settings page. A carefully crafted query by a third party would cause an XSS in the file listing. While serious, the owner of the blog cannot be tricked into loading the file listing page by way of an image or public link as a nonce is required to load it. The attacker would have to ask the blog owner to visit the cache listing page manually. Thanks to Marc Montpas from Sucuri for reporting that.</p>
<p>WP Super Cache 1.4.4 fixed a bug introduced in the previous version where queries with GET parameters caused a fatal error. Thanks to webaware <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/print_r-debug-messages-break-pages-with-query-args?replies=7">on the WordPress.org forums</a> for reporting that and including a patch to fix it.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re using an older version of WP Super Cache you&#8217;re encourage to upgrade to 1.4.4 as soon as you can.</p>

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";s: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:25:"Matt: Open Source Windows";s: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=44916";s: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:41:"http://ma.tt/2015/04/open-source-windows/";s: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:640:"<blockquote><p>But one day, the company could “open source” the code that underpins the OS—giving it away for free. So says Mark Russinovich, one of the company’s top engineers.</p>
<p>“It’s definitely possible,” Russinovich says. “It’s a new Microsoft.”</p></blockquote>
<p>From Wired&#8217;s <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/04/microsoft-open-source-windows-definitely-possible/">An Open Source Windows Is &#8216;Definitely Possible&#8217;</a>. In <a href="http://ma.tt/2007/10/microsoft-open-source/">2007 I predicted Windows will be Open Source by 2017</a>, we&#8217;ll see if I end up being right on that one.</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, 07 Apr 2015 03:00:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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: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:79:"WPTavern: WordPress Core Team Announces Release Leads for WordPress 4.3 and 4.4";s: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=41592";s: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/wordpress-core-team-announces-release-leads-for-wordpress-4-3-and-4-4";s: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:3640:"<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/LeaderFeaturedImage.png" rel="prettyphoto[41592]"><img class="size-full wp-image-41596" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/LeaderFeaturedImage.png?resize=608%2C262" alt="Leader Featured Image" /></a>photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/19517696@N00/77229745">DSC01356</a> &#8211; <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>
<p>Andrew Nacin <a title="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/04/01/release-leads-for-wordpress-4-3-and-4-4/ " href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/04/01/release-leads-for-wordpress-4-3-and-4-4/%20">announced on the Make Core blog</a> that Konstantin Obenland will lead the release of WordPress 4.3, while Scott Taylor will lead 4.4. Obenland&#8217;s latest contribution to WordPress is the <a title="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-theme-directory-launches-new-design" href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-theme-directory-launches-new-design">redesigned theme directory</a>. Taylor is largely responsible for the <a title="http://scotty-t.com/2014/04/16/wordpress-3-9-audiovideo/" href="http://scotty-t.com/2014/04/16/wordpress-3-9-audiovideo/">audio and video improvements</a> in WordPress 3.9.</p>
<p>Nacin defines a WordPress release lead as someone who sets the parameters for a release like schedule, deadlines, and helps to decide which feature plugins are merged. They also direct discussions in core development chats, write announcement posts, and shepherds contributions.</p>
<p>Usually, release leads are not chosen until the beginning of the next development cycle. However, so many people volunteered to lead WordPress 4.2, it gave the team an opportunity to choose them in advance.</p>
<p>Obenland says it&#8217;s too early to determine what he will focus on for WordPress 4.3, but there may be some incremental flow and user experience improvements.</p>
<blockquote><p>I’m still in the process of gathering information and getting a feel for what’s cooking and what could be ready for 4.3. As of right now (three days into the process) there is no clear headline feature emerging but it looks like there will be a number of nice incremental flow and user experience improvements.</p></blockquote>
<p>I asked Obenland what it means to him and the WordPress project for release leads to be chosen this far in advance.</p>
<blockquote><p>First of all it means I actually get to do the above, plan ahead of time. So far, Release Lead appointments happened somewhat last minute so there wasn’t a lot of time to prepare. I now have the luxury of being able to compose a list of proposed features ahead of the kick-off meeting, rather than having to come up with that list during the meeting, which will hopefully lead to a more efficient discussion and evaluation of those features.</p>
<p>Scott is able to groom feature plugins to get them ready for 4.4, which has been the goal for Release Leads for a while. Going forward, we’ll be in a position where not only Release Leads, but the community, get a chance to plan ahead more than one release at a time. This should have a positive impact on the quality of feature plugins and make for less hurried merges.</p></blockquote>
<p>Choosing release leads in advance removes friction and enables a smoother transition from one lead to another. It also gives the core team momentum to transfer from one development cycle to the next.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see how this impacts feature plugin development and whether or not the team will be able to maintain momentum into the WordPress 4.5 dev cycle.</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, 06 Apr 2015 21:58:49 +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: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:86:"WPTavern: WordPress 4.2 Will Natively Support Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Characters";s: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=41600";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:4:"link";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:102:"http://wptavern.com/emoji-enables-wordpress-to-natively-support-chinese-korean-and-japanese-characters";s: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:2661:"<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/emoji.png" rel="prettyphoto[41600]"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33173" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/emoji.png?resize=620%2C420" alt="emoji" /></a>WordPress 4.2 will soon be released with <a title="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-2-on-track-to-expand-core-support-for-emoji" href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-2-on-track-to-expand-core-support-for-emoji">expanded core support for emoji</a>, a new feature that users either love or love to hate. By making a key database change from utf8mb3 to utf8mb4 to add support for emoji, WordPress also receives the benefit of being able to natively handle Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters.</p>
<p>On the surface, adding emoji support to WordPress may seem like simply adding a ton of new emoticons. However, the technical aspects involved are complex. Brandon Kraft <a title="http://www.brandonkraft.com/b/2015/03/emoji-wordpress-and-you/" href="http://www.brandonkraft.com/b/2015/03/emoji-wordpress-and-you/">has a great article</a> that explains what emoji is, the database changes involved, and why you should care.</p>
<p>During the <a title="http://wptavern.com/matt-mullenwegs-state-of-the-word-highlights-internationalization-mobile-and-new-tools-for-wordpress-contributors" href="http://wptavern.com/matt-mullenwegs-state-of-the-word-highlights-internationalization-mobile-and-new-tools-for-wordpress-contributors">State of The Word</a> at WordCamp San Francisco last year, Matt Mullenweg said, “If WordPress is going to be truly global, truly inclusive, it has to be fully available for other languages.&#8221; Kraft explains that WordPress 4.2 will be able to natively handle Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters.</p>
<blockquote><p>Han characters are four-byte characters. These characters, 道 and 草, for example, are Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters that have been standardized into a single character map. By enabling utf8mb4, WordPress can now natively handle these characters.</p></blockquote>
<p>Andrew Nacin <a title="https://twitter.com/nacin/status/584066636132519937" href="https://twitter.com/nacin/status/584066636132519937">emphasized on Twitter</a> that, supporting 4-byte unicode characters in WordPress is critical to making WordPress global.</p>
<p>I won&#8217;t use emoji, but its impact on improving WordPress&#8217; internationalization efforts can&#8217;t be ignored. Gary Pendergast, who is largely responsible for adding the feature should be commended for his efforts. How do you feel about emoji support in WordPress and will you use it?</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, 06 Apr 2015 21:33:12 +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: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:69:"WPTavern: Gridsby: A Beautiful Free WordPress Theme for Photographers";s: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=41558";s: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/gridsby-a-beautiful-free-wordpress-theme-for-photographers";s: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:3982:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/modern-themes.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41558]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/modern-themes.jpg?resize=1025%2C509" alt="modern-themes" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-34502" /></a></p>
<p>When <a href="http://wptavern.com/modernthemes-launches-site-dedicated-to-providing-free-wordpress-themes" target="_blank">ModernThemes launched its site</a> with a dozen free WordPress themes last year, founders <a href="https://twitter.com/_robbieobbie" target="_blank">Robbie Grabowski</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/m2thedris" target="_blank">Mike Driscoll</a> committed to getting all of their themes listed on WordPress.org following positive feedback from the community. At that time many of their themes had issues that would preclude them from being hosted in the official directory.</p>
<p>The team has been hard at work bringing their themes up to snuff and now have two that have passed the WordPress Theme Review Team&#8217;s guidelines. <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/gridsby/" target="_blank">Gridsby</a>, a theme for photographers, is ModernTheme&#8217;s latest release.</p>
<p>The theme takes your photographs and arranges them in a mobile-friendly Masonry.js-powered grid on the homepage, followed by optional widget areas and a blog section. Site navigation is hidden behind a slide-out panel.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/gridsby.png" rel="prettyphoto[41558]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/gridsby.png?resize=880%2C660" alt="gridsby" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41560" /></a></p>
<p>Gridsby was created to be flexible and easy for users to personalize. The theme includes a impressive array of customization options available in the native customizer, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>Upload a logo to replace the default site name and description in the header</li>
<li>Upload your site favicon and Apple Icons</li>
<li>Add social media links and customize icon color and hover color</li>
<li>Hide gallery and/or blog section on the homepage</li>
<li>Display your posts in ascending or descending order</li>
<li>Customize View More button text and gallery button URL</li>
<li>Show/hide homepage widgets, set number of columns and customize widgets background and button text</li>
<li>Add footer contact info</li>
<li>Customize typography with a selection of Google fonts</li>
<li>Customize colors for text, links, blockquotes, accents, navigation, etc.</li>
<li>Set blog excerpt length and Read More text</li>
<li>Add a background image</li>
</ul>
<p>Due to its unusually long list of customization options, Gridsby authors created documentation, including tutorial videos for setting up its various features. The documentation is easily accessible from the WordPress admin under the Appearance menu:</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/gridsby-documentation.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41558]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/gridsby-documentation.jpg?resize=907%2C418" alt="gridsby-documentation" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41608" /></a></p>
<p>Gridsby works nicely as a theme for displaying photographs but could easily be tailored to work as a portfolio or similar visual showcase. I would not advise using this theme unless you are  committed to procuring large images for the galleries and blog post featured images. Check out a <a href="http://modernthemes.net/demo/gridsbywp/" target="_blank">live demo</a> to see the theme in action, and you&#8217;ll get an idea of how reliant it is on large images in posts.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re looking for a new way to showcase your work, Gridsby is an excellent option that also allows you to maintain a blog alongside your images. <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/gridsby/" 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:"Mon, 06 Apr 2015 21:19:23 +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: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:67:"WPTavern: ThemeReview.co Expands Services to Include Plugin Reviews";s: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=41555";s: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/themereview-co-expands-services-to-include-plugin-reviews";s: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:4212:"<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/red-pen.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41555]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/red-pen.jpg?resize=1024%2C500" alt="photo credit: pollas - cc" class="size-full wp-image-37241" /></a>photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pollas/526544001/">pollas</a> &#8211; <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
<p><a href="http://themereview.co/" target="_blank">ThemeReview.co</a> partners Emil Uzelac and Justin Tadlock <a href="http://themereview.co/were-now-accepting-plugins/" target="_blank">announced</a> over the weekend that the service is expanding to include plugin reviews. The professional theme review service launched at the beginning of January and has been growing steadily, thanks in part to <a href="http://wptavern.com/themereview-co-inks-strategic-deal-with-studiopress-and-envato" target="_blank">strategic recommendations from Envato and StudioPress</a>.</p>
<p>Uzelac and Tadlock are both senior reviewers at WordPress.org, and Tadlock is also a prolific plugin developer and co-author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Professional-WordPress-Plugin-Development-Williams/dp/0470916222" target="_blank">Professional WordPress Plugin Development</a>. The two are currently testing the waters in branching out into plugin reviews and will only be accepting a limited number of customers until they&#8217;ve nailed down a definitive pricing structure.</p>
<p>&#8220;People have been asking about plugin reviews since day 1,&#8221; Tadlock told the Tavern. &#8220;It&#8217;s something we&#8217;ve both been thinking about. Therefore, we decided to do a soft launch of the service.  We need to get a few reviews under our belt to <em>standardize</em> our service, so to speak.&#8221;</p>
<p>ThemeReview.co will be using <a href="https://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Coding_Standards" target="_blank">WordPress Coding Standards</a> as the basic criteria for plugin reviews. However, plugin architecture is less rigorously regulated than theme code.</p>
<p>&#8220;Obviously, there&#8217;s no standard set of guidelines like we have with themes,&#8221; Tadlock said.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think you could create those guidelines. Plugins are so vastly different that there&#8217;s no way to know what we&#8217;ll be reviewing from one plugin to the next.  However, some things we&#8217;ve done with theme reviews will carry over into plugins such as using standard WordPress APIs, validating/sanitizing data, and licensing.&#8221;</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re in the WordPress code quality review business, then plugin developers are a vast market you would be remiss to leave untapped. If you take WordPress.org as an example, themes make up roughly 10% of listings (~3,000) as compared to plugins (~37,000). Outside of WordPress.org&#8217;s small selection of extensions, there are thousands more products, both commercial and free.</p>
<p>So far, the theme review aspect of the business has been moderately successful. &#8220;We&#8217;ve made more than Theme Hybrid, my first foray into a professional WordPress service, did in it&#8217;s first few months,&#8221; Tadlock said. &#8220;However, we&#8217;re not quite at that point of where Emil and I could do this full time yet.&#8221;</p>
<p>As plugins are the very close cousin of themes, their addition is a natural pivot for the theme review duo. Plugin products have also increasingly become a larger portion of the profits for theme development shops, such as WooThemes and iThemes.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m actually more excited about plugin reviews because it&#8217;s a bit like venturing out into the Wild West,&#8221; Tadlock said.</p>
<p>While respected plugin developers such as Pippin Williamson have offered contract assistance in helping plugin authors review and improve their work, no business has tackled plugin code reviews as one of its primary services. <a href="http://themereview.co/" target="_blank">ThemeReview.co</a> will be the first to attempt to standardize this process. For the time being, the company will provide custom quotes for reviews, based on the amount and complexity of the code.</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, 06 Apr 2015 17:04:53 +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: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:16:"Matt: Meat Drunk";s: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=44905";s: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:32:"http://ma.tt/2015/04/meat-drunk/";s: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:131:"<p>Have you heard <em><a href="http://modernfarmer.com/2014/09/meat-drunk-bbq-expert-much-good-thing/">of being meat drunk</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:"Sun, 05 Apr 2015 21:26:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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: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:27:"Matt: Alcohol or Marijuana?";s: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=44908";s: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:42:"http://ma.tt/2015/04/alcohol-or-marijuana/";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:11:"description";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:380:"<blockquote><p>It would be nice to imagine your children won’t abuse any substances, but also unrealistic. The question is what to warn them against most strongly.</p></blockquote>
<p>Aaron Carroll asks <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/upshot/alcohol-or-marijuana-a-pediatrician-faces-the-question.html">Alcohol or Marijuana? A Pediatrician Faces the Question</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:"Sat, 04 Apr 2015 21:34:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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: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:40:"Matt: 9 Truths Computer Programmers know";s: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=44894";s: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://ma.tt/2015/04/9-truths-computer-programmers-know/";s: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:183:"<p><a href="http://macleodsawyer.com/2015/03/06/nine-truths-computer-programmers-know-that-most-people-dont/">9 truths that computer programmers know that most people don’t</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:"Fri, 03 Apr 2015 21:23:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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: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:76:"WPTavern: PressThis Revamped with a New User Interface and Minimalist 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:28:"http://wptavern.com/?p=41517";s: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/pressthis-revamped-with-a-new-user-interface-and-minimalist-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:4579:"<p><a title="https://codex.wordpress.org/Press_This" href="https://codex.wordpress.org/Press_This">PressThis</a> is a bookmarklet that allows you to quickly publish drafts or posts without having to navigate the backend of WordPress. It was added to WordPress in version 2.6 and can be found in the Tools menu.</p>
<p>One of the major features coming in WordPress 4.2 is a completely revamped PressThis bookmarklet. Michael Arestad <a title="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/02/18/press-this-revamp-merge-proposal/" href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/02/18/press-this-revamp-merge-proposal/">proposed the revamp</a> back in February and more than 15 contributors have helped out with the project.</p>

<a href="http://wptavern.com/pressthis-revamped-with-a-new-user-interface-and-minimalist-design/oldpressthis"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/OldPressThis.png?fit=500%2C500" class="attachment-large" alt="Old PressThis" /></a>
<a href="http://wptavern.com/pressthis-revamped-with-a-new-user-interface-and-minimalist-design/newpressthis"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/NewPressThis.png?fit=500%2C500" class="attachment-large" alt="New PressThis" /></a>

<p>As you can see from the screenshots above (old PressThis on the left and new PressThis on the right), PressThis has a new user interface and minimalist design. Post meta boxes are replaced with menus that slide from left to right when clicked. The post editor has the bare essential formatting buttons and the add media button is in the bottom left corner.</p>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/NewPressThisWithContent.png" rel="prettyphoto[41517]"><img class="size-full wp-image-41529" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/NewPressThisWithContent.png?resize=1025%2C857" alt="New PressThis With Content" /></a>New PressThis With Content
<p>When you select PressThis on a post or page, the title, source, and highlighted content will automatically be inserted into the editor. If the article uses images, you&#8217;ll see a list of ones to choose from below the post title.</p>
<p>Although images are initially inserted using a URL, they&#8217;re automatically uploaded to the local WordPress media library once a post is published or saved as a draft. Not only is this a convenient feature, but it also prevents <a title="http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotlinking" href="http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotlinking">hot linking</a>.</p>
<p>While testing PressThis, I found it to be fast and a pleasure to use. If you plan on using it as your primary post editor, keep in mind that it doesn&#8217;t have a way to add featured images. It&#8217;s possible this will be added in a future version.</p>
<h2>PressThis is More Than Just a Bookmarklet</h2>
<p>While using PressThis, I discovered that it&#8217;s more than just a bookmarklet; it&#8217;s also an experimental post editor. It gives the core team a chance to experiment with different content authoring approaches without interrupting the core experience.</p>
<p>George Stephanis, who is one of the project&#8217;s contributors, says PressThis could potentially turn into a multi-blog browser extension.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" width="550"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/jeffr0">@jeffr0</a> As it's primarily an api consumer, it can also be turned into a multi blog browser extension.</p>
<p>&mdash; George Stephanis (@daljo628) <a href="https://twitter.com/daljo628/status/584086709597405184">April 3, 2015</a></p></blockquote>
<p></p>
<p>One of the biggest drawbacks to PressThis is that you can&#8217;t use it to publish to multiple sites. Arestad says the ability to switch sites is on the roadmap. With the ability to switch sites, PressThis could turn into a closely tied third-party blogging application tailored exclusively for WordPress.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" width="550"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/daljo628">@daljo628</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffr0">@jeffr0</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/stephdau">@stephdau</a> Allowing site switching is an eventual goal. :)</p>
<p>&mdash; Michael Arestad (@michaelarestad) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelarestad/status/584088583666995201">April 3, 2015</a></p></blockquote>
<p></p>
<p>I&#8217;m excited about what the future holds for PressThis. It&#8217;s been neglected for years, but it could turn into one of the most useful parts of WordPress. I encourage you to try it when WordPress 4.2 is released later this month.</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, 03 Apr 2015 21:04:55 +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: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:70:"WPTavern: New Plugin Forces BuddyPress Users to Upload a Profile Photo";s: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=41463";s: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:80:"http://wptavern.com/new-plugin-forces-buddypress-users-to-upload-a-profile-photo";s: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:2352:"<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/photo.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41463]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/photo.jpg?resize=960%2C468" alt="photo" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41543" /></a></p>
<p>When a social network is filled with mystery man avatars, it can give the impression that the site is a ghost town, overrun with spam users. Sometimes members are too lazy to upload a profile photo, no matter how many friendly prompts you try to offer.</p>
<p>Missing profile images makes for ugly directory pages and less colorful BuddyPress widgets. It makes it seem like users aren&#8217;t invested enough in your site to bother with having an avatar. A widespread lack of avatars has a subtle damaging effect on both members and non-members&#8217; perceptions of your community.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s why Brajesh Singh, owner of <a href="http://buddydev.com/" target="_blank">BuddyDev</a>, created the <a href="http://buddydev.com/plugins/bp-force-profile-photo/" target="_blank">BuddyPress Force Profile Photo</a> plugin. It requires logged-in users to upload a profile image as the bare minimum requirement to visit any page on your site.</p>
<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/buddypress-force-profile-photo.png" rel="prettyphoto[41463]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/buddypress-force-profile-photo.png?resize=569%2C337" alt="buddypress-force-profile-photo" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41535" /></a></p>
<p>If a user hasn&#8217;t uploaded a profile photo, he will be redirected to the upload screen upon logging in. Trying to visit any other page will result in being redirected back to the profile photo upload page at:</p>
<p><code>/members/[username]/profile/change-avatar/</code></p>
<p>If the user then deletes his profile photo and doesn&#8217;t add a new one, the plugin will detect that there is no photo and will restrict access to the site again.</p>
<p>Forcing users to add a profile photo is a drastic measure, but for some communities it might be the only thing that works. Install the free <a href="http://buddydev.com/plugins/bp-force-profile-photo/" target="_blank">BuddyPress Force Profile Photo</a> and you&#8217;ll never have to see mystery man avatars on your site 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:"Fri, 03 Apr 2015 20:51:30 +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: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:72:"WPTavern: Donnacha MacGloinn Predicts the End of the Webhosting Industry";s: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=41480";s: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:82:"http://wptavern.com/donnacha-macgloinn-predicts-the-end-of-the-webhosting-industry";s: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:2896:"<p>Donnacha MacGloinn published an excellent post on WPMayor.com predicting the <a title="http://www.wpmayor.com/the-end-of-the-web-hosting-industry/" href="http://www.wpmayor.com/the-end-of-the-web-hosting-industry/">end of the webhosting industry</a>. Although he talks about the industry as a whole, MacGloinn says the need for specialized WordPress hosting is quickly disappearing.</p>
<blockquote><p><span class="s1">With the lingering perception that this stuff must be difficult, and the customer’s delight with all that WordPress can do these days, the specialist WordPress hosts get a lot more credit than they deserve.</span></p>
<p><span class="s1">The problem is that modern technologies are rapidly rendering their role unnecessary. Anyone can now go to Linode or Digital Ocean and fire up their own VPS (Virtual Private Server) within half a minute, for a fraction of the approximately $30 cost of the most basic, one-WordPress-installation package from a specialist WordPress host. </span></p>
<p><span class="s1">The VPS user can then use Docker or a similar technology to instantly install all they need for any number of secure, optimized installations of WordPress, all running with more memory, storage and bandwidth. The dirty secret of the specialist WordPress hosting industry: this is exactly what most of them are doing themselves.</span></p></blockquote>
<p>If specialized WordPress hosts rely on cloud infrastructure services like Amazon Web Services and charge a premium to customers, what stops Amazon from providing a great managed WordPress hosting experience, thereby eliminating the middleman? As MacGloinn points out, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have already made moves to provide the best out-of-the box experience.</p>
<blockquote><p><span class="s1">Just last Friday, Google announced Google Cloud Launcher, enabling push-button deployment of over 120 top Open Source applications, including WordPress, to the Google Cloud Platform. Just two days before that, Microsoft launched the Azure App Service, which does essentially the same thing from a slightly different angle.</span></p></blockquote>
<p>VPS (Virtual Private Servers) and other technical jargon is scary to a lot of people, but if companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft can provide a great out-of-the box experience and charge a significantly lower price compared to specialized hosts, it&#8217;s possible the managed WordPress hosting space could disappear.</p>
<p>The article has a <a title="http://www.wpmayor.com/the-end-of-the-web-hosting-industry/#comments" href="http://www.wpmayor.com/the-end-of-the-web-hosting-industry/#comments">few comments</a> from readers and offers a lot of food for thought, but I really want to hear from those who own and operate specialized WordPress hosting companies. Do you think MacGloinn is on to something, or is his prediction way off base?</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, 03 Apr 2015 18:19:44 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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:68:"Post Status: The Excerpt Episode 3 — WordPress news with Beka Rice";s: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:"https://poststatus.com/?p=12208";s: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:"https://poststatus.com/the-excerpt-episode-3-wordpress-news-with-beka-rice/";s: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:2238:"<p>Welcome to <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft/the-excerpt/">The Excerpt</a> Episode 3, part of the <a href="https://poststatus.com/category/draft/">Post Status Draft podcast</a>, which you can find <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/post-status-draft-wordpress/id976403008">on iTunes</a>. Draft consists of two formats: long form interviews like I’ve done for a long time, and The Excerpt for a summary of news around the WordPress ecosystem.</p>
<p>With The Excerpt, we cover a few of our favorite stories from the <a title="Post Status Membership Club" href="https://poststatus.com/club/">Post Status Club</a> over the last week or two. The primary goal is to keep it short and informational: we keep the podcast to around 15 minutes.</p>
<p>In Episode 3, I&#8217;m joined by <a title="Beka Rice" href="https://poststatus.com/profiles/beka-rice/">Beka Rice</a>, who writes the excellent eCommerce blog <a href="http://sellwithwp.com">SellWithWP</a> and is a partner at eCommerce company <a href="https://www.skyverge.com/">SkyVerge</a>.</p>
<p>Listen now:</p>
<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');</script><![endif]-->
<a href="http://audio.simplecast.fm/9886.mp3">http://audio.simplecast.fm/9886.mp3</a>
<p><a href="http://audio.simplecast.fm/9886.mp3">Direct Download</a></p>
<p>Stories discussed:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://me.sh">Mesh</a> by Automattic, an in-progress app I discovered by accident.</li>
<li>Release <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/04/01/release-leads-for-wordpress-4-3-and-4-4/">leads for WordPress 4.3, and 4.4 were announced</a>.</li>
<li>April Fools&#8217; <a href="https://poststatus.com/notes/april-fools-roundup/">roundup</a> (Club only, but we talk about them individually), including my own about <a title="WordPress to be bundled in Jetpack with mission to power 50% of the web" href="https://poststatus.com/wordpress-jetpack-bundle/">Jetpack bundling WordPress</a>.</li>
<li>A <a href="https://poststatus.com/notes/a-theme-shop-year-in-review/">theme shop&#8217;s year in review</a>. I also covered this <a title="A theme shop year in review" href="https://poststatus.com/notes/a-theme-shop-year-in-review/">in the Club</a>.</li>
</ul>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Fri, 03 Apr 2015 18:06:44 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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: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:58:"WPTavern: Add a Favorite Button to Any WordPress Post Type";s: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=40043";s: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/add-favorite-buttons-to-any-wordpress-post-type";s: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:5781:"<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/favorite.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[40043]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/favorite.jpg?resize=958%2C478" alt="favorite" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41482" /></a></p>
<p>Twitter users have often asked the question: <em>&#8220;What does it mean to favorite a tweet?&#8221;</em> The act of favoriting can communicate any number of things depending on the context, such as bookmarking, agreeing, showing support, or responding to a mention.</p>
<p>UK researchers studying the favoriting feature on Twitter discovered that users could identify more than 25 distinct motivations for favoriting  a tweet. Their qualitative analysis, titled <a href="http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~mlw/pubs/icwsm2014-favouriting.pdf" target="_blank">More than Liking and Bookmarking? Towards Understanding Twitter Favouriting Behaviour</a>, dissects the various motivations for using the feature:</p>
<blockquote><p>The survey responses from these users demonstrate that motives for favouriting tweets are extremely heterogeneous and not always consistent within and between users.</p></blockquote>
<p>Although many other apps and websites have offered favoriting for years, this study on Twitter favoriting was one of the first to reveal just how complex and nuanced the feature can become in the hands of users.</p>
<h3>Add Favorites to WordPress Posts</h3>
<p>Favoriting is a subjective activity that is interpreted purely by individual motivation. The simple act of pushing a button results in a myriad of functional and communicative uses, making it one of the more interesting interactive features that you can add to your WordPress site.</p>
<p>Favoriting capabilities are especially important when it comes to custom post types. Not every site needs this feature, but it is particularly helpful for those with large amounts of content stored in custom post types, such as books, recipes, movies, jobs, or real estate listings.</p>
<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/favorites/" target="_blank">Favorites</a> is a new plugin that was released last month on WordPress.org. It is easy for end users to set up but was also created with developers in mind. The plugin provides an API for adding a favorite button to any post type.</p>
<p>The Favorites settings panel allows you to select the post types where you want favoriting functionality to apply. You can also customize the button text in order to make it suitable for bookmarking, liking, favoriting, or any other similar use.</p>
<p>Favorites will automatically add a favorite button at the top or bottom of your posts. The button intuitively takes on the styles of your active theme, as you can see in this example with the <a href="http://wptavern.com/hew-a-free-wordpress-blogging-theme-inspired-by-ryu">Hew</a> theme:</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/favorite-button-on-post.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[40043]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/favorite-button-on-post.jpg?resize=837%2C504" alt="favorite-button-on-post" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41485" /></a></p>
<p>Use of the plugin requires WordPress version 3.8+ and PHP version 5.3.2+. <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/kylephillips" target="_blank">Kyle Phillips</a>, author of Favorites, summarized the features to include the following:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Use with Any Post Type</strong> &#8211; Enable or disable favorite functionality per post type while automatically adding a favorite button before and/or after the content. Alternatively, you can use the included functions to display the button anywhere in your template.</li>
<li><strong>Available for All Users</strong> – Don&#8217;t want to hide functionality behind a login? Favorites includes an option to save anonymous users&#8217; favorites by either Session or Cookie. Logged-In users&#8217; favorites are also saved as user meta.</li>
<li><strong>Designed for Developers</strong> &#8211; Favorites works great out of the box for beginners, but a full set of template functions unlocks just about any sort of custom functionality developers may need. Favorites outputs the minimum amount of markup needed, putting the style and control in your hands.</li>
</ul>
<p>Phillip set up the <a href="https://favoriteposts.com/" target="_blank">favoriteposts.com</a> site to house documentation for the plugin, including options, settings, available shortcodes, and a function reference for outputting the button, favorite counts, and a list of user favorites.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/screenshot-3.png" rel="prettyphoto[40043]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/screenshot-3.png?resize=900%2C726" alt="screenshot-3" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41495" /></a></p>
<p>If you&#8217;re wondering if Favorites is compatible with your caching solution, the short answer is &#8216;yes,&#8217; according to the plugin&#8217;s FAQ page:</p>
<blockquote><p>Yes, although the buttons may display the incorrect state momentarily. Button states are updated via an AJAX call after page load in order to accommodate cached pages. This may be noticeable on slower servers.</p></blockquote>
<p>After having tried many different post bookmarking plugins for WordPress, I found Favorites to be the easiest one to use with the most intuitive button display. If you want to test the plugin without installing it, try out a live demo on <a href="https://favoriteposts.com/" target="_blank">favoriteposts.com</a>. Favorites is GPL-licensed and available for free on <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/favorites/" target="_blank">WordPress.org</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:"Fri, 03 Apr 2015 18:03:53 +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: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:97:"WPTavern: Venturing Outside the Bubble: WordPress Community Members Attend PHP UK 2015 Conference";s: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=41406";s: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/venturing-outside-the-bubble-wordpress-community-members-attend-php-uk-2015-conference";s: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:6594:"<p><a href="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/php-uk.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41406]"><img src="http://i2.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/php-uk.jpg?resize=1025%2C499" alt="php-uk" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41447" /></a></p>
<p>The <a href="http://phpconference.co.uk/" target="_blank">PHP UK Conference</a> celebrated its 10th annual event this year at the end of February. More than 700 participants gathered in London to share knowledge and experiences surrounding PHP and related web technologies.</p>
<p>WordPress community members <a href="https://twitter.com/miss_jwo" target="_blank">Jenny Wong</a> and <a href="http://aaron.jorb.in/" target="_blank">Aaron Jorbin</a> both spoke at the conference and the videos have just been released today. During Wong&#8217;s keynote presentation, titled &#8220;Integrating Communities,&#8221; she told the story of how she learned PHP by attending local user groups, asking questions, and embracing the community. Her session encouraged those in attendance to build bridges between technology communities.</p>
<p><span class="embed-youtube"></span></p>
<p>Wong came to WordPress from the PHP community and her presentation addressed the friction that is often present between the two. I spoke with her about the inspiration behind her topic and the deeper issues underlying the general lack of understanding between the two communities.</p>
<p>&#8220;Lots of people have used WordPress when it was young &#8211; maybe before all the beautiful UI came in,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I am not one of those people, but I&#8217;ve heard the stories of how bad the UX was.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some people learned to live with it and became part of the WP community; some people hated it and left. The people who left have a particular ideal of WordPress from their very old experience and unless we as a community reach out to them, their perceptions will not change.&#8221;</p>
<p>She believes that WordPress contributors should strive to attend and speak at non-WordCamp conferences to learn from and experience other communities.</p>
<p>&#8220;Inside the WP community I often hear, &#8216;How do you become better at PHP?&#8217; <span class="pullquote alignleft">We need to show them that the WP community is welcomed by the PHP community and that it is not a scary place</span>,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>The situation is gradually improving across many events, as ZendCon <a href="https://twitter.com/zendcon/status/583638815237087232" target="_blank">announced</a> today that it will be including a WordPress track. WordPress community members made an effort to attend <a href="http://world.phparch.com/" target="_blank">PHP World 2014</a>, PHP developer <a href="http://www.lornajane.net/" target="_blank">Lorna Jane Mitchell</a> spoke at WordCamp London, and PHP South West (a user group in the UK) recently had a joint night with the <a href="http://www.meetup.com/Bristol-WordPress-People/" target="_blank">Bristol WordPress People</a> user group.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re seeing more and more of this cross pollination, at least between the WP and PHP community, slowly,&#8221; Wong said.</p>
<h3>Venturing Outside the WordPress Community</h3>
<p>Speaking at WordCamps is an excellent way to give back and connect with others in the community, but the value of venturing outside of the WordPress bubble is often overlooked. Aaron Jorbin attended the PHP UK conference knowing only one person.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think there is a personal benefit in putting ourselves in situations we aren&#8217;t automatically comfortable,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m used to knowing a lot of people at events. Knowing only one person before hand helps me do a better job of empathizing with people that feel like outsiders at WordPress events. <span class="pullquote alignleft">If we want to do a better job of creating diversity, it&#8217;s good to feel the problems people feel when they don&#8217;t feel like they belong.</span>&#8221;</p>
<p>Jorbin spoke on Modernizing the WordPress Toolbox. His presentation goes far beyond the topic of modernizing WordPress&#8217; build tools to include his passion for removing barriers to contributing to the project. Jorbin also delved deeper into the reasons behind the project&#8217;s selection of certain tools.</p>
<p><span class="embed-youtube"></span></p>
<p>&#8220;We as a community need to do a better job of both getting out there and bringing people in,&#8221; Jorbin said.  &#8220;This is something that we have improved over the last few years (Nacin keynoting PHP Tech, Joe Dolson and Joseph O&#8217;Connor at CSUN, Mel Choyce, Nacin and myself at OS Bridge, etc.), but we have a long way to go.&#8221;</p>
<p>Currently, going outside of the WordPress space usually means that you will encounter some negative opinions about WordPress. Jorbin said that these are largely born out of a lack of knowledge of WordPress and why contributors make the decisions that they make.</p>
<p>&#8220;PHP developers hear things like PHP 5.2 as a minimum and write us off,&#8221; he said. &#8220;When they hear that 1) We run just fine on PHP 5.6, and 2) are already running our automated tests on php7, and 3) that we do it based on our user focused philosophies, they understand it and actually gain a lot of respect for us.&#8221;</p>
<p>Beyond combating negative opinions of the software, Jorbin believes that the WordPress community can find a wealth of knowledge outside of WordCamps.</p>
<p>&#8220;Another benefit is hearing how other projects are solving problems helps WordPress solve problems,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Hearing about <a href="http://drupalladder.org/" target="_blank">The Drupal Ladder</a> influences how I think about on-boarding new contributors. Hearing about how Etsy started using HHVM helps me get ideas for rolling out HHVM on WordPress sites.&#8221;</p>
<p>If you make the effort to venture outside of your usual networks, you will undoubtedly encounter situations wherein your skills of diplomacy and bridge-building will be sharpened, as both Wong and Jorbin found at the PHP UK conference. However, the value gained in connecting with other communities far outweighs the challenges. The WordPress community has a great deal to share with the world, but it is also enriched by other technologies.</p>
<p>If you already speak at multiple WordCamps per year, here&#8217;s a new challenge for 2015: Speak at a conference outside the WordPress bubble where you may not know many people. Who knows who you&#8217;ll meet or what you might learn?</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, 02 Apr 2015 23:37:49 +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:"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: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:27:"Matt: Warped Silicon Valley";s: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=44898";s: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/2015/04/warped-silicon-valley/";s: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:441:"<p>As a counterpoint to yesterday&#8217;s link to the Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, here&#8217;s a Washington Post story, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-one-mans-utopian-vision-for-the-internet-conquered-and-then-badly-warped-silicon-valley/2015/03/20/7dbe39f8-cdab-11e4-a2a7-9517a3a70506_story.html">Meet the man whose utopian vision for the Internet conquered, and then warped, Silicon Valley</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, 02 Apr 2015 20:41:00 +0000";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}}s:32:"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";a:1:{s:7:"creator";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s: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: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:71:"WPTavern: Display Sheet Music in WordPress With the ABC Notation 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=41412";s: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:81:"http://wptavern.com/display-sheet-music-in-wordpress-with-the-abc-notation-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:1777:"<p>If you&#8217;re a musician or a music teacher and want to show sheet music in WordPress, you might be interested in a new plugin <a title="http://wordpress.paulrosen.net/plugins/abc-notation/" href="http://wordpress.paulrosen.net/plugins/abc-notation/">developed by Paul Rosen</a> called <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/abc-notation/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/abc-notation/">ABC Notation</a>. ABC Notation uses <a title="http://abcjs.net/" href="http://abcjs.net/">ABCjs,</a> an open source ABC music notation JavaScript library that renders sheet music.</p>
<p>To render sheet music, simply add the string you&#8217;d like to render between the [abcjs] shortcode. If you&#8217;re not familiar with the proper syntax to use, <a title="http://abcnotation.com/blog/2010/01/31/how-to-understand-abc-the-basics/" href="http://abcnotation.com/blog/2010/01/31/how-to-understand-abc-the-basics/">ABCNotation.com has a good article</a> that explains the basics. The string that is used in the shortcode is passed to the ABCjs library, which translates and renders it into an SVG element.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s an example of ABC Notation in action. The first image shows the string while the second shows the rendered output.</p>
<a href="http://wptavern.com/display-sheet-music-in-wordpress-with-the-abc-notation-plugin#gallery-41412-1-slideshow">Click to view slideshow.</a>
<p>ABC Notation is an excellent example of a plugin that might not have a large audience, but will come in handy to those who need it. I tested it on WordPress 4.2 beta 3 and didn&#8217;t encounter any issues. You can <a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/abc-notation/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/abc-notation/">download it for free</a> from the WordPress 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:"Thu, 02 Apr 2015 20:06:39 +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:"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: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:78:"WPTavern: WPWeekly Episode 186 – Inspirational Conversation With Lewis Howes";s: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=41403&preview_id=41403";s: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:84:"http://wptavern.com/wpweekly-episode-186-inspirational-conversation-with-lewis-howes";s: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:3012:"<p>In this episode of WordPress Weekly, <a title="http://marcuscouch.com/" href="http://marcuscouch.com/">Marcus Couch</a> and I are joined by <a title="http://lewishowes.com/" href="http://lewishowes.com/">Lewis Howes</a>, host of the <a title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-school-of-greatness/id596047499" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-school-of-greatness/id596047499">School of Greatness</a> podcast. Lewis shares his story of achieving his lifelong dream of becoming a professional football player, only to have it crushed by an injury. Without a backup plan in place and limited skills, Lewis became depressed and suffered some financial hardships.</p>
<p>Thanks to WordPress and influential people like Syed Balkhi, Tim Ferriss, and Joel Comm, Lewis was able to reinvent himself into a motivational speaker and a highly successful content marketer. Lewis has been featured in Forbes magazine, FastCompany, Time, ESPN, and several other publications.</p>
<h2>Stories Discussed:</h2>
<p><a title="http://studio.envato.com/explore/content-writing" href="http://studio.envato.com/explore/content-writing">Envato Launches Content Writing Service</a><br />
<a title="http://blog.vaultpress.com/2015/04/01/restore-via-carrier-pigeon/" href="http://blog.vaultpress.com/2015/04/01/restore-via-carrier-pigeon/">VaultPress Now Offers WordPress Site Restores via Carrier Pigeon</a><br />
<a title="http://recode.net/2015/04/01/godaddy-goes-public-today/" href="http://recode.net/2015/04/01/godaddy-goes-public-today/">Godaddy.com Goes Public</a></p>
<h2>Plugins Picked By Marcus:</h2>
<p><a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/auto-menu-from-pages/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/auto-menu-from-pages/">Auto Menu From Pages</a> automatically generates a WordPress navigation menu that matches your page order and hierarchy.</p>
<p><a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/remove-wp-branding/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/remove-wp-branding/">Remove WP Branding</a> replaces logos, links, and text with your own. It also adds two new widgets to the dashboard.</p>
<p><a title="https://wordpress.org/plugins/abc-notation/" href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/abc-notation/">ABC Notation</a> enables you to include sheet music on your WordPress site by simply specifying the ABC style string using shortcodes.</p>
<h2>WPWeekly Meta:</h2>
<p><strong>Next Episode:</strong> Wednesday, April 8th 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>
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<p><strong>Listen To Episode #186:</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, 02 Apr 2015 17:29:19 +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: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:62:"WPTavern: Hew: A Free WordPress Blogging Theme Inspired by Ryu";s: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=41372";s: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/hew-a-free-wordpress-blogging-theme-inspired-by-ryu";s: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:3498:"<p><a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/hew/" target="_blank">Hew</a> is Automattic&#8217;s <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/author/automattic/" target="_blank">67th</a> free theme release on WordPress.org. The new theme, designed by <a href="http://soakingupthelight.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Ola Laczek</a>, was inspired by <a href="https://wordpress.com/themes/ryu" target="_blank">Ryu</a>, a classic among personal blogging themes. Ryu was released two years ago and for awhile it seemed like everyone was using it.</p>
<p>Hew brings that same clean, identity-focused design that features the author&#8217;s Gravatar at the top with posts directly beneath. The ability to immediately brand the blog for yourself is one of the design aspects that made Ryu such a hit.</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/hew.png" rel="prettyphoto[41372]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/hew.png?resize=880%2C660" alt="hew" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41381" /></a></p>
<p>Laczek explained her inspiration for Hew in an interview with the <a href="http://themeshaper.com/2015/03/31/hew/" target="_blank">ThemeShaper</a> blog:</p>
<blockquote><p>Ryu was my initial inspiration for Hew. I wanted to create a personal-blogging theme which shows an author’s identity – via Gravatar logo and social media links in the header – while staying focused on their content.</p></blockquote>
<p>The theme includes one optional custom menu in the top bar, which is displayed to the left of the social links menu. Hew keeps the focus on content by hiding all four of its widget areas within a slide-out top panel.</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/hew-top-widgets.png" rel="prettyphoto[41372]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/hew-top-widgets.png?resize=640%2C284" alt="hew-top-widgets" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41388" /></a></p>
<p>As is the case with virtually every other recent theme release from WordPress.com, Hew includes support for post formats. The theme prominently features post format icons at the top of every post. Each format has its own subtle differences in style.</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/hew-quote-post-formats.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41372]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/hew-quote-post-formats.jpg?resize=986%2C421" alt="hew-quote-post-formats" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41392" /></a></p>
<p>Hew&#8217;s customizer options include the ability to change the header image from your Gravatar to something else, as well as the ability to customize the background and header text color. If you&#8217;re hoping to be able to change the yellow highlight color used throughout the theme, I didn&#8217;t see an easy option to do this. You&#8217;ll need to create your own child theme if you want to further customize it.</p>
<p>Check out the <a href="https://hewdemo.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">live demo</a> on WordPress.com to see the theme in action.</p>
<p>Hew is essentially the colorful successor to the popular Ryu theme and is on its way to becoming equally as popular. It is rapidly approaching 1,000 downloads after less than a week on WordPress.org. If you need a fresh new look for your personal blog, take <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/hew/" target="_blank">Hew</a> for a test drive to see what you think.</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, 02 Apr 2015 16:27:35 +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: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:61:"WPTavern: Meet Wapuujlo, Official Mascot of WordCamp Belgrade";s: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=41319";s: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/meet-wapuujlo-official-mascot-of-wordcamp-belgrade";s: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:5126:"<p>The trend of WordCamps creating their own custom <a href="https://github.com/jawordpressorg/wapuu" target="_blank">wapuu</a> design is starting to catch momentum. The GPL-licensed creature originated in Japan and variations have been used to personalize branding for Japanese meetups and WordCamps for years.</p>
<p>Last week we featured <a href="http://wptavern.com/scott-evans-on-designing-the-punk-wapuu-for-wordcamp-london-2015" target="_blank">WordCamp London&#8217;s custom wapuu design</a>, which is fondly dubbed &#8220;Wapuunk.&#8221; That same weekend <a href="http://philly.wordcamp.org/2015/" target="_blank">WordCamp Philly</a> organizers previewed their <a href="https://twitter.com/LilJimmi/status/579666510945214464" target="_blank">Philadelphia-inspired collection</a> of designs for the creature on Twitter, including a Rocky wapuu.</p>
<p><a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/wapuu-variations.jpg" rel="prettyphoto[41319]"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/wapuu-variations.jpg?resize=1025%2C433" alt="wapuu-variations" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-41338" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://belgrade.wordcamp.org/2015/" target="_blank">WordCamp Belgrade</a> is coming up the weekend of April 18-19, and the organizers have a special variation of wapuu planned. They are calling the Serbian version &#8220;Wapuujlo.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It has a traditional Serbian hat and it&#8217;s holding a plum, as plums are Serbia&#8217;s national emblem,&#8221; co-organizer Milan Ivanović told the Tavern.</p>
<p><a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Wapuujlo.png" rel="prettyphoto[41319]"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Wapuujlo.png?resize=281%2C300" alt="Wapuujlo" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-41324" /></a>The team plans to present Wapuujlo as the official mascot of the event and will be printing stickers. <a href="https://twitter.com/kouteki_" target="_blank">Nemanja Aleksić</a>, a volunteer for the WordCamp, is credited with the design. Aleksić is a growth researcher and analyst at <a href="https://managewp.com/" target="_blank">ManageWP</a> by day but also has a passion for design.</p>
<p>Despite having worked with WordPress for a few years, his first contact with the community was at <a href="http://wptavern.com/wordpress-beyond-boundaries-a-recap-of-wordcamp-europe-2014" target="_blank">WordCamp Europe 2014</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;I was blown away by the positive attitude of the people there (especially Remkus de Vries and Chris Lema &#8211; those two are a force of nature) and decided I wanted to be a part of it,&#8221; Aleksić said. When he found out about WordCamp Belgrade getting approved, he decided to offer his help to Milan Ivanović and the team.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve toyed with the idea of creating our own Wapuu several times in the past, but it wasn&#8217;t until I read your article on <a href="http://wptavern.com/scott-evans-on-designing-the-punk-wapuu-for-wordcamp-london-2015" target="_blank">Scott Evans&#8217; punk Wapuu</a> that I finally decided to do something about it,&#8221; Aleksić said. &#8220;I sat down with my colleague <a href="https://www.behance.net/milica_spasojevic" target="_blank">Milica</a>  and created Wapuujlo.&#8221;</p>
<p>Wapuujlo&#8217;s attire represents a melding of Serbian tradition with the WordPress mission of democratizing publishing. Aleksić explained his inspiration for the mascot&#8217;s design:</p>
<blockquote><p>The hat šajkača, a traditional Serbian hat worn by the common folk back in the day, was a logical choice because it represents the people using WordPress to have their voices heard. The plum was Milica&#8217;s idea &#8211; it&#8217;s our national symbol, representing prosperity and unity. These two ideas gave Wapuujlo a traditional vibe, which is a nice contrast to the futuristic/anime variants of the Japanese Wapuu. Even the name Wapuujlo is a nod to traditional Serbian names.</p></blockquote>
<p>Aleksić found the wapuu SVG file to be easy to alter and the team was able to perform the changes in under five minutes. &#8220;I expect that Belgrade, London, and Philly wapuus will prompt other WordPress communities to come up with their own versions of the mascot,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Just don&#8217;t go overboard with the alterations: keep it clean, simple and recognizable,&#8221; Aleksić advised those who want to design a wapuu mascot for an event.</p>
<p>The trend of creating custom mascots for WordCamps seems to be rapidly catching on outside of Japan. The first edition of WordCamp Belgrade is a historic event for <a href="http://wptavern.com/a-glimpse-into-serbias-rapidly-growing-wordpress-community" target="_blank">Serbia&#8217;s WordPress community</a> and the organizers wanted to offer a commemorative wapuu sticker as part of the branding.</p>
<p>&#8220;We want to continue the tradition and inspire other WordCamps out there to include Wapuu as a must,&#8221; Ivanović said. &#8220;I just love that cute little fellow!&#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:"Thu, 02 Apr 2015 00:14:22 +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: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:82:"WPTavern: How to Use LICEcap to Record and Turn Screen Captures into Animated GIFs";s: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=41316";s: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/how-to-use-licecap-to-record-and-turn-screen-captures-into-animated-gifs";s: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:3800:"<p>When I wrote about <a title="http://wptavern.com/enhanced-plugin-installs-axed-from-wordpress-4-2" href="http://wptavern.com/enhanced-plugin-installs-axed-from-wordpress-4-2">enhanced plugin installs being removed</a> from WordPress 4.2 last week, a few readers asked how I created the animated image that shows how shiny updates work. I used <a title="http://www.cockos.com/licecap/" href="http://www.cockos.com/licecap/">LICEcap</a> by Çockos Incorporated, which is free, GPL licensed software available for Windows and OSX.</p>
<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/LicecapFrame.png" rel="prettyphoto[41316]"><img class="size-full wp-image-41321" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/LicecapFrame.png?resize=648%2C508" alt="LICEcap Frame" /></a>LICEcap Frame
<p>LICEcap has an adjustable frame that you place over the content you want to record. You can adjust the frame manually by dragging the edges with your mouse cursor, or you can type in an exact size. You can also adjust the max frames per second, but keep in mind that the higher the number, the larger the file size will be.</p>
<p>When you hit the record button, you&#8217;ll be prompted to name the file and select where it will be saved. There&#8217;s also configuration settings that allow you to manipulate the recording.</p>
<a href="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/LICEcapRecordingSettings.png" rel="prettyphoto[41316]"><img class="size-full wp-image-41322" src="http://i1.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/LICEcapRecordingSettings.png?resize=660%2C222" alt="Recording Settings" /></a>Recording Settings
<p>I don&#8217;t know what most of the options do and LICEcap doesn&#8217;t have any documentation outside of <a title="http://forum.cockos.com/forumdisplay.php?f=44" href="http://forum.cockos.com/forumdisplay.php?f=44">this discussion forum</a>. I recommend checking the box to use Control + Alt + P to pause the recording. This way, you won&#8217;t see the mouse cursor move off the screen to click the pause button. LICEcap doesn&#8217;t have an editor to manage frames so if you make a mistake, you&#8217;ll have to start over. Since animated GIFs should be as short and small as possible, the lack of a frame editor isn&#8217;t a big deal.</p>
<p>Once everything is configured, click the save button and a three second countdown begins. When the countdown reaches 0, LICEcap begins recording movement within the frame. On the bottom left of the recording window, you&#8217;ll see the size of the frame, timestamp, and the amount of FPS.</p>
<a href="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/LICEcapRecordingWindow.png" rel="prettyphoto[41316]"><img class="size-full wp-image-41323" src="http://i0.wp.com/wptavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/LICEcapRecordingWindow.png?resize=693%2C557" alt="Recording Status " /></a>Recording Status
<p>Once you&#8217;re satisfied with the recording, upload the GIF file to the WordPress media library. When you insert it into a post, make sure to use the full size image since animated GIFs don&#8217;t scale as well as JPG files.</p>
<h2>A Few Tips When Creating Animated GIFs</h2>
<p>Keep the recording as short and small as possible. Resize the recording window so it&#8217;s only as big as necessary. Animation such as scrolling and page browsing should be kept to a minimum. Last but not least, play with the recording options as there might be a combination that decreases the file size of recordings.</p>
<p>Animated GIFs are great for a few laughs, but they&#8217;re also an excellent way to show how something works. They&#8217;re a great option when using video doesn&#8217;t make sense. What do you use or recommend to record screen captures in GIF format?</p>";s:7:"attribs";a:0:{}s:8:"xml_base";s:0:"";s:17:"xml_base_explicit";b:0;s:8:"xml_lang";s:0:"";}}s:7:"pubDate";a:1:{i:0;a:5:{s:4:"data";s:31:"Wed, 01 Apr 2015 21:12:41 +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:"Wed, 15 Apr 2015 11:50:20 GMT";s:12:"content-type";s:8:"text/xml";s:14:"content-length";s:6:"204992";s:10:"connection";s:5:"close";s:4:"vary";s:15:"Accept-Encoding";s:13:"last-modified";s:29:"Wed, 15 Apr 2015 11:30:12 GMT";s:15:"x-frame-options";s:10:"SAMEORIGIN";s:4:"x-nc";s:11:"HIT lax 250";s:13:"accept-ranges";s:5:"bytes";}s:5:"build";s:14:"20130910223210";}