This might not be news to…
This might not be news to some, but I recently discovered Automattic has provided some tools for theme builders. Also, they've redesigned Themeshaper again with the nicest Twenty Sixteen child theme I've seen yet.
Matt Mullenweg was recently on the…
Matt Mullenweg was recently on the ChangeLog podcast where he talked about JavaScript for WordPress, REST APIs, Calypso, amongst other (mostly technical) subjects.I haven’t yet listened to this in full, and it’s long, but it’s an open source centric podcast that…
Medium is considering a paywall and…
Medium is considering a paywall and "premium content" features. This is a really smart idea and I think they'll do really well with it. If I were Automattic I'd be talking to Drew Strojny to do a Memberful integration for…
Shopify introduces WordPress integration
Brian Krogsgard
Shopify has announced three WordPress themes and an official Shopify eCommerce plugin to help WordPress sites start selling using Shopify. Shopify partnered with Themezilla, Themify, and Ultralinx for the launch. The themes and plugin are free and Shopify is promising…
Yet another survey for the WordPress recommended hosting page
Brian Krogsgard
In discussing the Pressable story, a few folks have asked me about the WordPress recommended hosting page, and if Automattic's ownership of Pressable will affect that page. The answer is that I don't think so, but I don't know for sure. However,…
Jetpack is testing direct email marketing for Automattic products
Brian Krogsgard
Automattic is testing email marketing to WordPress.com users who have accounts linked to Jetpack, in order to market Automattic products like VaultPress and Akismet. It's the first time I've seen them make use of the WordPress.com <-> Jetpack connection; previously the…
Automattic has purchased a majority stake in Pressable
Brian Krogsgard
Automattic has taken over a majority stake in Pressable, the managed WordPress hosting company, with a purchase of Pressable CEO Vid Luther's shares of the company. They were already a significant investor.
Google’s AMP launches, Automattic plugin integration ready
Brian Krogsgard
Google launched AMP in a pretty big way.
Facebook Instant Articles to be available to all publishers in April
Brian Krogsgard
There is really only one existing WordPress integration for Facebook Instant Articles. It is from Jack Spurlock, a developer at WIRED. Facebook has a limited spec for supporting Instant Articles, which at a base level can just use RSS, but deeper integrations would…
Other things you should read about the REST API
Brian Krogsgard
The REST API is a hot topic of conversation right now. I spent 3,000 words verbalizing my opinion on it, but there is a lot of good stuff that smart folks have written about the API and its current state.…
Automattic has been testing Let’s Encrypt,…
Automattic has been testing Let's Encrypt, which for them means putting about a million domains on Let's Encrypt certs. I talked to someone from Automattic, and they are planning to expand it, but are still ironing out a lot of…
Underscores is introducing components for enabling specific types of websites
Brian Krogsgard
The team behind Underscores, the popular starter theme, is introducing a "Components" model, where you can generate a base theme with components that cater to a specific type of website: business, magazine, blog, etc. The project is still in early stages,…
The first WordPress REST API conference, in review
Brian Krogsgard
I had the privilege to attend and be the media partner at A Day of REST, the world's first conference devoted to the WordPress REST API. Here's my initial review, and some pictures, from the event.
iThemes adding live, incremental backups to BackupBuddy
Brian Krogsgard
iThemes has managed and supported BackupBuddy for about as long as any commercial plugin on the market. It's a cornerstone product for them, and it's done very well over the years. With BackupBuddy 7.0, they are adding live, incremental backups…
Followup to the Foundation and WordCamp article
Brian Krogsgard
After the Foundation / new WordCamp organization article last week, I had some followup with Matt Mullenweg regarding several details. For one, the new organization will indeed be a subsidiary of the WordPress Foundation, and it will be a public…
WordPress Foundation financials, and a separate WordCamp organization
Brian Krogsgard
The WordPress Foundation is the legal entity that has ownership of the WordPress trademark, and also acts as a pass through for WordCamp and other WordPress funds. As a 5013c non-profit in the US, the foundation has to submit paperwork…
