How Agencies Can Deal with Uncertainty Created by “The Recent Unpleasantness”
For the last 2 months, I’ve begun my monthly WordPress News Roundup on Solid Academy with a summary of “the recent unpleasantness” in WordPress, particularly from the perspective of agencies and solopreneurs.
It’s a frustrating time for many of us, as a power struggle over which we have no control creates changes that impact our businesses.
Selecting plugins and web hosting has always been important, but now it’s even more crucial. Our choices have to factor in not only technical and financial considerations, but also the current politics of WordPress.
Selling our services is frequently one of the greatest challenges we face, and now that is compounded with the growing awareness of clients about the appearances of instability in WordPress.
This is especially true as the conflict makes its way into the mainstream media.
Eric gives excellent advice: “Do what’s best for your mental and financial well-being. Do what makes the most sense for your clients. Consider the short and long-term impacts. Each should play a role in your decision-making.”
Governance Concerns Emerge Among Top WordPress Contributors
Veteran WordPress contributors have expressed concerns over a “culture of fear” within the community.
The absence of formal governance structures has left community members vulnerable to the decisions of leadership, with some fearing career repercussions for dissenting.
Recent actions, such as banning critics and taking over plugins like Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), have intensified these worries.
The community believes the lack of transparency in decision processes is harming trust and discouraging new contributors.
Some contributors are now beginning to question the project’s sustainability and calling for balanced governance to ensure its longterm success.
Google Photos has introduced a new transparency features for AI-edited images that will clearly display when generative AI tools like Magic Editor were used to alter photos and images.
Expanded metadata standards are also being implemented to track AI modifications. (Google acknowledges that metadata can be circumvented by determined users.)
Images combining multiple photos, such as Best Take features, will be specially labeled.
Tools like Magic Eraser and Zoom Enhance will automatically include AI editing indicators.
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