It’s about that time of year where we reflect on our accomplishments, look ahead to the goals we want to achieve, and hopefully appreciate the moment we’re living in right now. Even if it’s not your perfect place, there are…
Pippin Williamson, the founder of Sandhills Development and creator of popular WordPress plugins, recently discussed his reasons for leaving the WordPress ecosystem and selling his business. Williamson prioritized spending time with his family and felt burnt out from the constant demands of plugin development. He chose Awesome Motive as the buyer because of their product focus, but he did express some regret over the team turnover following the acquisition. Williamson now uses WordPress as an end user and has noticed ongoing issues with core, plugins, and the overall user experience.
Kelley Muro, founder of North Commerce, developed the ecommerce solution as an alternative to WooCommerce and Shopify. Built specifically for WordPress, North Commerce utilizes the WordPress block editor and aims to be a simplified, all-in-one ecommerce solution. The platform has a pricing model starting at $99 per year and focuses on speed, flexibility, and simplicity. North Commerce wants to take advantage of upcoming advances in the WordPress ecosystem, such as full site editing, to become the fastest ecommerce platform available.
The Minute+ News Roundtable podcast discussed Sarah Gooding leaving Tavern, the future of WordPress page builders, WooCommerce’s rebranding, and the overall state of WordPress. The guests highlighted the importance of Tavern in promoting WordPress innovation and discussed the implications of page builders like Elementor raising prices. They also debated the potential control of the WooCommerce ecosystem by WordPress.com and Automattic. While there are positive signs for WordPress, there are concerns about rising costs, complexity for newcomers, and potential fragmentation. Thoughtful leadership will be needed to maintain the balance in the WordPress community and ecosystem.
The author discusses the significance of the Twenty Twenty-Four theme and its potential impact on the page builder market. They mention the importance of continuous improvement and hope that the design team behind the theme will enhance its features. They also question whether the future enhancements to site editing and blocks will diminish the need for page builders. The author believes that a strong default WordPress experience can help retain users and position third-party plugins and page builders as options for more advanced users. They mention Automattic’s positioning with Jetpack and express their intention to critique the project in the context of WordPress’s future.
In this episode of The Minute Plus, host Matt Medeiros interviews WordPress entrepreneur Christian Raiber about his approach to buying and selling plugin companies. Christian shares insights on building a portfolio of niche products that solve problems for overlapping user segments. He discusses the importance of guiding users from one relevant product to the next, while also balancing vision with user needs. Christian also talks about the potential of incorporating SaaS components into product lineups. Overall, he provides valuable advice for anyone looking to navigate the WordPress business landscape.
WordPress 6.4 was released with a bug that was quickly patched in version 6.4.1. The Twenty Twenty-Four theme has received positive reviews and is expected to be widely adopted. The episode covers the release of WordPress 6.4, and there is a discount on a cart and checkout plugin for WooCommerce. There are also updates on Brainstorm Force’s investment in an appointment booking plugin, possible changes at Tumblr, and tips on using Slack for WordPress business. Support for The WP Minute is also encouraged.
WordPress 6.4 has been released, featuring updates to the Block Editor, including improvements to Blocks and Patterns, vertical text orientation, and new commands in the command palette. The release also introduces the new default theme, Twenty Twenty-Four, which aims to offer more flexibility and patterns for site builders. Overall, WordPress 6.4 is seen as a step towards the future of WordPress and the block-based era.
WooCommerce has rebranded to Woo and can be found at Woo.com. The announcement clarifies that Woo refers to the brand/company, while WooCommerce is the open-source ecommerce platform for WordPress. Some members of the community have expressed displeasure with the rebrand, believing it obscures their role as WooCommerce site builders. However, others, like Syed Balkhi, see the trend of hosting companies offering professional services as a growth channel for the WordPress platform.
The future of selling plugins for WooCommerce looks promising, as there is a growing demand for these add-ons to enhance the functionality of online stores. Many developers are focusing on creating innovative and user-friendly plugins that cater to different needs and preferences. This trend is expected to continue as more businesses are adopting WooCommerce as their e-commerce platform of choice.
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