This is the home of the Make Community team for the WordPress open sourceOpen SourceOpen Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. project!
Here is where we have policy debates, project announcements, and assist community members in organizing events.
Everyone is welcome to comment on posts and participate in the discussions regardless of skill level or experience.
Get Involved
If you love WordPress and want to help us do these things, join in!
As part of WordPress Deputy / Organiser training series, we are excited to invite all MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. and WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. organisers around the world to attend our upcoming Zoom Session for WordPress Organiser Training, scheduled as follows:
WordPress Meetup organisers and WordCamp organisers from all over the world are invited to this chat. This is also a great opportunity to meet our global volunteers, share ideas and find new friends in the community.
Please RSVP, so you can receive an invitation in your email that will include the Zoom link. If you have any questions, feel free to email support@wordcamp.org.
The call for supporters has been closed. If you’re interested in helping WordPress MeetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook., please send us an email to support@wordcamp.org.
Summary: The Community Team is embarking on a global meetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. reactivation project! Are you available to support this project by reaching out to meetup organizers in your region? If so, please complete this form and comment below!
Is your meetup currently active? Tell the world by posting a photo on social media with the hashtag #WordPressMeetup
Many WordPress meetups around the world have been dormant the past two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and organizer burnout. Yet thriving meetups are crucial for the health of the global WordPress community!
As such, the Community Team is embarking on an initiative to reactivate meetups around the world.
In the months ahead, the Global Community TeamGlobal Community TeamA group of community organizers and contributors who collaborate on local events about WordPress — monthly WordPress meetups and/or annual conferences called WordCamps. will directly reach out to the organizers of every dormant WordPress meetup to:
Check on the status of the meetup
Encourage reactivation
Ask how we can best support the organizers
Identify whether new organizers are needed
We define a dormant meetup as one that has not held an event in the past six months (virtual or in-person). There are hundreds of dormant WordPress meetups, which means there is significant opportunity to reactivate our global community!
But to do so, we need your help!
The Community Team is seeking Supporters who are willing to conduct personal check-ins and follow-up with meetup organizers. Each Supporter will be assigned a defined set of meetups to reach out to, with the size of your set based on your availability.
Supporters will conduct this outreach via a shared meetup reactivation email account, and document their outreach efforts and organizer responses in a central tracking system.
Every contribution is valuable, no matter the size!
How to get involved: If you are interested in helping with the Meetup Reactivation project, please complete this interest form to apply. Then, comment below to let us know why you’re excited to be a Supporter! We’ll follow up within ten days of receiving your form.
As in-person WordPress meetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. reactivate in communities around the world, WordPress Community SupportWordPress Community SupportWordPress Community Support PBC is a Public Benefit Corporation, created specifically to be the financial and legal support for WordCamps, WordPress Meetup groups, and any additional “official” events organized within the WordPress Community Events program. (WPCSWordPress Community SupportWordPress Community Support PBC is a Public Benefit Corporation, created specifically to be the financial and legal support for WordCamps, WordPress Meetup groups, and any additional “official” events organized within the WordPress Community Events program.) will now restart its meetup venue support funds. Venue support is an important part of helping in-person meetups reactivate, particularly as venues tend to be more expensive at this time. Simultaneously, we need to be responsible with WordPress Community Support funds. To this end, we ask that all meetups first seek a free or donated venue. If no suitable free or donated venue is available, you may request venue support from WPCS for an affordable, inclusive meeting space.
What makes for an inclusive venue?
One of our jobs as community organizers is to create a 100% welcoming space for everyone. This includes meeting in venues that are wheelchair accessible, and close to public transportation when possible. You should avoid venues with religious or political affiliations, or any other space where someone might feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.
How to request meetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. venue support
You can request meetup venue support by submitting the form on this page.
If you are going to ask for WPCS to cover the costs of a meetup venue, the following conditions must be met:
Your proposed new venue meets minimum requirements for safety, adequate seating, and accessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility).
We are preparing the Annual MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. Surveys and would value your feedback on the draft survey questions. Excitingly, for the first time in WordPress history we will distribute the surveys in several different languages! This will enable many more meetup organizers and attendees to respond to the survey. The previous two years, we sent out the survey by the end of Q1 (first quarter of the year). We are behind this schedule, so the survey will cover 2021 and 2022 year-to-date.
Below are the draft survey questions, which are adapted from last year:
Get current information and feedback from organizers about what they need to be successful, particularly as they continue to adapt to the pandemic and look to return to in-person events;
Get current information and feedback from attendees about how meetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. can best support their participation, particularly in the context of the pandemic and the return to in-person events;
Measure the baseline of where we are today, in the hopes that we can ask the same questions next year and measure our impact.
With these objectives in mind, please comment on this post or make suggestions on the above documents if:
Any questions could be revised
Any questions should be removed
There any additional questions we can ask
The working documents and comments on this post will remain open through 26 May 2022, in order to have adequate time to prepare the survey for translation at WCEUWCEUWordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event.Contributor DayContributor DayContributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/. on 02 June 2022. We plan to send out the surveys by the end of June 2022.
When we come together we step outside of our comfort zones and regular thinking and open ourselves to new, innovative ideas. When you’re gathered together, away from the distractions of regular life, your mind opens and creativity flows.
While there was lots of innovation around online events, COVID stopped in person events in its tracks, but that seems to be changing.
This post gives us a place to share ideas on how we can support organizers who are trying to restart in-person events in their communities.
What is Blue Sky Thinking?
Blue Sky Thinking is just another way to say “brainstorming”. The idea is simply that the sky is the limit to any ideas you might have to share. Even if it seems unachievable now, who knows when the right pieces might exist to make it possible.
So, for our purposes here, share your ideas below with kindness and compassion as your only limits.
The Goals of This Exercise
We have three goals to meet in this exercise:
support organizers as they navigate COVID concerns
help attendees feel safe and comfortable
offer resources and options that make being together at in person events exciting and interesting
If we don’t meet the first two, then the community is unlikely to use our ideas.
Why? The people we’re trying to bring with us have changed. This article from Andrea Middleton dives into that a little more.
The Organizers We’re Helping
As people, we’ve been through a lot. We’ve all made some painful choices and worked extra hard just to manage what used to be simple tasks. We’re tired and we’re more cautious than ever.
If we’re feeling that way in general, how much harder must it be for those organizing and attending events?
However, if our organizers feel supported and our attendees feel safe, they’ll more readily embrace ideas we’ve laid out for them to implement.
There’s a very good chance this could be achieved by continuing to clearly state our COVID guidelines and how we help organizers implement them, as well as easy to access channels for both organizers and attendees to ask questions.
It’s Time for Your Ideas to Reactivate In-Person Events
Once people are more comfortable being together, we can move one step further and help make organizing events a little easier.
Fortunately for us, WordPress has been far from idle in the pandemic. New programs like Learn and the Photo Directory have been launched, just to name a few. Along with what’s new, there are also some resources that are still relatively unknown to the community like the do_action events.
These new and existing resources could be used to help ease the weight of planning and streamline a return to events with less additional effort on our part.
But let’s not stop there!
Through brainstorming, we can look at the resources we have with new eyes, and possibly even use them as a prompt for more ideas. Who knows where your creativity and unique perspectives can take us!
This is Blue Sky Thinking after all. Don’t let what we have done or current resources limit your creativity. Any and all ideas are welcome here. How we do it or if we can do it are irrelevant. This is a purely open sandbox.
Before You Share
Remember:
this is asynchronous brainstorming
there are no wrong answers
be kind to fellow brainstormers
the discussion on implementation will come later
Guidelines:
Share your Concept
Answer what you can from this list (no pressure here)
TL;DR: The Community team has new, mandatory guidelines for all WordCamps and MeetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook., which include following local guidelines, checking for vaccinations where legally permissible and mandatory masks. In areas where the venue cannot legally check for vaccination status, the area must pass the in-person checklist. See “New guidelines” below for full details.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community team has worked to continually adapt the WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. program — a formidable challenge in this dynamic environment. I am grateful to the deputiesProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook., organizers, sponsors, volunteers, and attendees who continue to support this team.
It could make things easier if organizers were simply asked to follow local guidelines when planning a WordCamp. In reading comments on the recent post, I am reminded that many local governments are in similar situations: at the whim of when and what the next variant will bring, and debating best approaches to safety.
For the WordPress Community team, the priority since the start of this pandemic has always been the safety of community members.
To be clear, the Community team is not recommending safety guidelines outside of official WordPress events. That is best left to health professionals to determine. For the WordPress Community, another important consideration needs to be the health of the events program. As you might imagine, the people who support this program really, truly, deeply want events that connect and inspire WordPress enthusiasts to continue! Moving forward with in-person events that risk the health of community members is unacceptable, and also poses risks to the program itself.
New guidelines
It is with all of this in mind that the following new guidelines will be mandatory for all WordCamps, and all Meetups that anticipate more than 50 attendees.
Follow local laws and guidelines. If your locality has suggested guidelines on top of mandatory ones, follow those too.
If you are in a location where local laws or guidelines require or permit venues to limit admission based on a person’s vaccination status and masking, then WordCamps can only happen in venues that are willing to provide staff to check for vaccination status at the door and to remind participants to wear masks during the event.
If your area or venue legally cannot check vaccination status, your area must pass the in-person checklistat the time of the application, and again at the time of the event. Additionally, the venue must be willing to provide staff who will remind participants to wear masks and check for temperature during the event. Organizers in these areas must be prepared to move online or cancel if the region fails the safety checklist.
Here is a visualization of these new guidelines.
The Community team will also continue to support online events at this time. If your meetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. has fewer than 50 attendees, you can move forward with your event following local guidelines/laws. The Community team recommends that you organize the event only for attendees who are fully vaccinated or recently tested negative (within 2 days).
Next steps and feedback
These new guidelines will be added to all the appropriate places in the WordCamp organizers handbook, and a summarized version of this decision will be included in upcoming Meetup Newsletters. If you have questions, concerns, or feedback, please share them in a comment on this post.
Update (25 January)
The WordCamp and Meetup Handbook pages have been updated to reflect these changes:
Welcome to the January 2022 edition of the monthly MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. Organizer newsletter.
Last year brought many exciting updates and events to the WordPress community, from State of the WordState of the WordThis is the annual report given by Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress at WordCamp US. It looks at what we’ve done, what we’re doing, and the future of WordPress. https://wordpress.tv/tag/state-of-the-word/. watch parties to the first in-person WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. since the pandemic—we have high hopes for 2022 as well. Read on to learn about the latest news and resources from the WordPress community, and share them with your local meetup groups!
Here’s what’s inside this issue:
Second release candidateRelease CandidateA beta version of software with the potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge. for WordPress 5.9
WCEUWCEUWordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event. 2022: Call for Speakers
WordPress events
News from the WordPress community
🚀 WordPress 5.9 is on track to release on January 25, 2022
The 5.9 Field Guide has also been published recently. You can find a compilation of all the developer notes regarding 5.9 in this guide. If you’d like more information about the performance improvements in WordPress 5.9, head over to this page.
As always, your support is appreciated. Please help spread the word about WordPress 5.9 by hosting a release-focused meetup or organizing testing sprints.
Share WordPress 5.9 with your meetup group!
Spread your excitement for the latest WordPress release by organizing a WordPress meetup highlighting the release features! Read the talking points for WordPress 5.9 to learn more.
Looking for inspiration? Check out the following WordPress 5.9 events from our community!
With an eye on the rapidly evolving situation with Omicron, WordCamp Europe (WCEU) 2022 is still set to take place in person at Porto, Portugal—with solid safety protocols in place.
WCEU recently announced its call for speakers. Organizers are looking for talks on various topics related to WordPress, such as technology, design, marketing, content, accessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility), and more. Have questions? Watch the Q&A session that took place recently to learn more about being a speaker at WCEU.
If you or someone you know is interested in being a speaker at WCEU 2022, apply now.
📷 Submit your images to the WordPress Photo Directory
The WordPress Photo Directory is a collection of high-quality, CC0-licensed images first introduced by Matt Mullenweg in State of the Word 2021. It’s also the only submission tool for Openverse powered by WordPress.
Although it hasn’t fully launched yet, you can now submit your images to the WordPress Photo Directory. You can also contribute in other ways, as there’s currently a call for volunteers.
🌍🎪 What’s happening with WordPress events
With the rise of Omicron, in-person WordCamps are cautiously scheduled for 2022. We strongly urge you to follow additional safety guidelines if you plan to attend a WordCamp or meetup. As a reminder, if you’re an organizer, learn about the legal protections available to you for in-person events. Don’t miss these helpful resources for organizers from our global sponsors!
Interested in widening your pool of Meetup and WordCamp speakers from underrepresented groups? Join the #diverse-speaker-support channel on the Make WordPress SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/.workspace.
GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/version 12.3 is out. This release includes three brand new blocks, more customization controls, and a coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. blocks reference, among other exciting features.
WordPress 5.8.3 is now available. This security release features four fixes.
Version 19.0 of WordPress for Android and iOS is available for testing.
Listen to the latest episode of the WP Briefing podcast, “A Carol of Thanks,” with Executive Director Josepha Haden.
That’s all, folks!
If you have any questions, Community Team deputiesProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. are here to help. Please email us at support@wordcamp.org or join the #community-events Slack channel. Thanks for everything you do to grow and support the WordPress community—let’s keep sharing knowledge and inspiring each other with our contributions!
Last year, the Community Team opened up a pathway to return to In-person WordPress meetups, WordCamps, and do_action charity hackathons. In addition to following local laws and safety guidelines, the Community team’s current guidelines recommend that only individuals who are fully vaccinated, recently tested negative, or recently recovered from COVID-19 could participate in in-person WordCamps. However, 2022 has brought in new challenges related to the pandemic such as new variants that are more contagious, in addition to a spike in infection rates in many regions.
To address the safety concerns around in-person events, Community DeputiesProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. have been discussing potential, additional safety measures for in-person WordPress events. These safety measures include:
Mandatory masks for all attendees (even in regions that do not have a mask mandate at this time).
More prominent messaging in WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. websites, emails, and social media posts about COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Mandatory temperature checks for all attendees at the event (if permitted by local authorities).
Accessible hand sanitizing stations in the venue.
Maintaining social distancing practices during the event (Larger meeting rooms and seating arrangements with good spacing can be a good way to implement this).
Having a plan for contact tracing measures in case of infections (can be done using WordCamp registration data, meetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. are a bit tricker).
I propose that, for regions that do not pass guidelines on page one of the in-person safety checklist (but where vaccines and testing are available to everyone), these guidelines become mandatory for all in-person WordPress events, going forward.
Please note: These guidelines are in addition to any local laws for events. For example, if a region requires mandatory vaccination proof for attending the event, organizers must be willing to verify the same, even though they are not a part of our guidelines. Alternatively, even if a region does not have a mask mandate, organizers must be willing to enforce the same for their event since our guidelines specify the same.
To support organizers in these important safety measures, WordCamp CentralWordCamp CentralWebsite for all WordCamp activities globally. https://central.wordcamp.org includes a list of upcoming and past camp with links to each. is prepared to budget for additional safety measures such as free masks (providing masks as attendee swag for example), hand sanitizing stations, etc. The Community Team is also continuing to support online events, and encourage your community to explore multiple ways to connect online.
Please share your thoughts
What questions or concerns do you have about the proposed guidelines? What more can WordPress Community Team do to support organizers in organizing safe in-person WordPress events? If you are planning an in-person WordPress event, what safety guidelines would you follow? Please respond in the comments with your thoughts by January 22, 2022. Based on your feedback, the team will finalize the guidelines and publish them in our handbook by early February 2022.
As you know, there’s a new version of WordPress coming soon. This update brings some exciting features your way. As we get closer to the major releaseMajor ReleaseA set of releases or versions having the same major version number may be collectively referred to as “X.Y” -- for example version 5.2.x to refer to versions 5.2, 5.2.1, and all other versions in the 5.2. (five dot two dot) branch of that software. Major Releases often are the introduction of new major features and functionality. of WordPress 5.9, we’d love the support of community members and meetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. organizers like you to spread the word!
As with all releases, WordPress 5.9 can benefit from your help in the following ways:
Plan release-focused meetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. to share the latest features in 5.9 with your community.
Email your local meetup groups to inform members about the upcoming release.
Individually test 5.9 release features, share your feedback, blog about release features, and amplify them on social media.
Your testing and feedback of WordPress 5.9 Beta 2 (and the Release CandidateRelease CandidateA beta version of software with the potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge. when we get there) is important and appreciated. Or you can use the Beta Testing Plugin and be the first to see all new features in action.
1. Experience the Power of Full Site Editing
WordPress 5.9 marks the first version of Full Site Editing in WordPress coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.. This version includes holistic support for block themes. You can find available blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. themes under the “full site editing” tag in the Theme repository.
Additionally, 5.9 comes with more than 30 theme blocks, such as the navigation editor, site logo, and site title, that allow you to build and customize all parts of your website.
The introduction of block themes is only the beginning. We plan to add more exciting features in future releases to build on this solid foundation.
What’s Exciting about Block Themes?
You can now personalize your entire website using blocks. Block themes are endlessly customizable—your imagination is your only limit. Once you’ve installed a block theme, you can modify it through the site editor and the styles interface. The components of block themes include its block templates, block template parts, and the custom styling offered through theme.jsonJSONJSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a minimal, readable format for structuring data. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, as an alternative to XML.. Learn more about block themes in our documentation.
Say Hello to Twenty Twenty-Two, the New Default Block Theme.
To usher in the next generation of themes, we’ve released the new default theme of WordPress 5.9–Twenty Twenty-Two. The inspiration behind its subtle design is the playful yet resilient nature of birds.
This default theme is among the first to be built with Full Site Editing at its heart, and it requires minimal CSSCSSCSS is an acronym for cascading style sheets. This is what controls the design or look and feel of a site.. By using the incredible power of patterns, you can customize this theme in countless ways without needing numerous skills.
2. Change the Look of Your Site With the New Styles Interface and theme.json Enhancements
If you liked theme.json, you would be happy to know that the new styles graphic interface provides greater global design control.
You can now completely customize the styles on your site, changing the look of different elements and blocks. Edit everything, from the typography and the colors of the button blocks, such as block-specific styles, to the layout on your site—all from the same interface without switching themes.
Moreover, 5.9 sees various improvements to theme.json, such as support for child themes, increased duotone support, and new settings and styles, to name a few.
3. Make Your Site Stand Out with a Multitude of Design Tools
With more design-focused tools, WordPress 5.9 provides you with the power to tailor your content precisely the way you want it; Size your featured imageFeatured imageA featured image is the main image used on your blog archive page and is pulled when the post or page is shared on social media. The image can be used to display in widget areas on your site or in a summary list of posts. a certain way, evenly space a menu, or modify your paragraph to a different size. Moreover, you can customize these design tools site-wide rather than each block individually with the styles interface.
From layout control, block gap, typography options, border support, and dimension controls to enhanced cropping tools and duotone filters—all these features are here to help you get your site just right.
4. Customize Your Site’s Navigation Using the New Navigation Block
Accessibility is at the center of the new Navigation block, with full keyboard navigation support and a responsive option with the ease of an on/off toggle.
The Navigation block enables you to control your menu’s design, location, and function from a single interface.
5. Leverage Patterns to Build Your Site Efficiently
Patterns will continue to be a gamechanger in helping you create your site. With patterns, you don’t have to build each site page from scratch—save your basic block groups and personalize the individual blocks to suit your needs!
In WordPress 5.9, you can create simple blocks containing images, lists, and paragraphs, or complex full-page layouts with overlapping content.
Browse from a library of existing reusable patterns or build your own. You can also share your creations by submitting your very own patterns to the pattern directory with open submissions.
The possibilities are limitless. Build a new mailing list call to action (CTA) with a few clicks or change entire site sections without switching themes. These enhancements simplify site creation, editing, and management, saving you plenty of time and effort.
6. Enjoy User Interface and Performance Improvements
Version 5.9 includes important enhancements to the user interface and platform performance.
With new updates such as rich URLURLA specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org previews, refined settings modal, intuitive icons and animations, and the lazy rendering of search results and patterns, you can enjoy better responsiveness and user experience.
Try the improved publishing flow, List View (including a drag and drop capability with collapsible sections), and a new language switcher, among other updates. The List View has undergone improvements in performance and accessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) as well.
Share Your Feedback about WordPress 5.9
Now that you know about the features in the pipeline, we hope you’re as excited as we are.
What do you like about this release? What have you planned for sharing WordPress 5.9 with your local meetup group? Are you organizing an outreach meetup, or would you be interested in scheduling a testing sprint? Let us know in the comments.
Erica Varlese
6:30 pm on November 24, 2021 Tags: #meetups, in-person meetup, online meetup, state of the word, state of the word 2021, StateOfTheWord ( 4 )
State of the WordState of the WordThis is the annual report given by Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress at WordCamp US. It looks at what we’ve done, what we’re doing, and the future of WordPress. https://wordpress.tv/tag/state-of-the-word/. used to be an in person event at WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. US and was limited to attendees at the camp. But due to the pandemic, the event will be streamed online this year. As a result, millions of WordPress fans worldwide have the opportunity to join the event live, interact with each other, and even ask Matt questions directly.
An online State of the Word also offers an excellent opportunity for MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. organizers to revitalize their meetup groups and spread the buzz by bringing people together for State of the Word.
We encourage Meetup organizers worldwide to (safely) host a State of the Word 2021 watch party for your meetup groups—read this handbook to learn more.
Why should you host a watch party?
Organizing a watch party will be a perfect way to bring your group members together and to build excitement after two difficult pandemic years, especially if your group has not had a chance to meet in a while. In addition, it will be an excellent opportunity to build engagement amongst your community members after a complex year.
By broadcasting it to your group members, you are encouraging them to stay updated on the latest happenings in the WordPress world. What’s more, your community members also get a chance to interact with WordPress lovers worldwide and ask their questions directly to Matt Mullenweg!
How can you organize a State of the Word watch party for your meetup group?
If State of the Word is happening at an odd hour in your timezone, you can still organize a watch party by organizing a replay of live stream at a date/time that is convenient for your group.
Online State of the Word Watch Party
The simplest way to organize an online watch party is to schedule an online event for your WordPress Meetup group following these instructionsand add the State of the Word YouTube streaming link (available shortly on wordpress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/) directly on your Meetup.com page. For a more interactive event, you can schedule an online event meeting using tools like Zoom and use it to broadcast the State of the Word stream, with the help of screen sharing. Doing so will allow your meetup attendees to interact with each other over video, audio, and chat as they listen to State of the Word. Learn more about how to organize an online State of the Word watch party.
If your region allows in person events and meets the guidelines for in person WordPress events (if vaccines/testing are freely available), you can organize an in person watch party (for fully vaccinated; recently tested; or recently recovered folks) as well! All you need is a venue that has a large TV screen (that can stream YouTube) or a projector with a decent audio system.
If you are organizing an in person watch party,fill out this formso that we can ship you some swag for your meetup group to celebrate! Deadline: November 30, 2021
Help us promote State of the Word!
Even if you are unable to organize a watch party for State of the Word, help us promote State of the Word by emailing your attendees about the event (if you are a Meetup organizer). Here are some email templates that could be useful!
Join a State of the Word Watch Party near you!
We have compiled a list of State of the Word Watch Parties around the world. If you don’t see a watch party in your region listed here, check this page on Meetup.com to see if your local WordPress group is organizing one. If not, why don’t you consider organizing a watch party on your own? 🙂
We’ve put together a few resources to help you schedule your watch party:
Here’s a nifty handbook to help you schedule your online or in person meetup.
Have questions for Matt? Email them to us at: ask-matt@wordcamp.org OR simply ask your question in the livechat during the live stream.
Finally, don’t forget to share on social media about your watch party events using the hashtag #StateOfTheWord!
Is your group planning a State of the Word watch party? Let us know in the comments or simply drop an email to support@wordcamp.org to let us know. We are happy to help you in any way we can, and we cannot wait to see what you come up with on December 14!
