Matt: Fact Checkers
The New Yorker is always good, but they’re having a bit of a victory lap as they celebrate their centennial. This article on the vaunted fact-checkers is such a delight, with so many in-jokes and back references it’s hard to keep track. When I started WordPress, I wrote down five publications that I hoped someday […]
Aaron Jorbin: WP Book Club Week 1
If you signed up on the original post, you will also receive this info in an email. For week one of a WordPress Book Club, we will be discussing the Preface and Chapter 1. Introduction. To start the club, we are going to do introductions. I’ll ask everyone to share their name and how long they have been involved […]
How I Block WordPress Form Entries From Certain Countries

When someone fills out a form on your website, it should be a chance to connect with a real customer. But if your business only works in certain regions, opening your forms to the whole world often means sorting through spam and messages from people you can’t actually serve. Country-based form filtering solves this problem. […]
Matt: Summer WordPress Update
I’m still buzzing from an incredible WordCamp US this week, from contributor day to the closing party the vibes were right and it was amazing to connect with fellow travelers in the journey towards creating a more free and open source internet. Before our open town hall Q&A I was able to make some fun […]
WordPress.org blog: Portland Welcomes WordCamp US 2025: A Community Gathering

A full house of attendees gathered in Portland, Oregon, for WordCamp US 2025, with thousands more tuning in online. Over four days, the flagship WordPress event brought together contributors, innovators, and community members for collaboration, inspiration, and discovery. WordPress is so unique because we’re not just a product; we’re a movement. Matt Mullenweg, WordPress Cofounder […]
WPBeginner Spotlight 15: WordPress Admin UI Preview, New Payment Options, and Smarter Site Tools

August has been full of exciting updates in the WordPress ecosystem. From new features in major plugins to early previews of the redesigned admin interface, WordPress site owners have plenty to look forward to. This month’s highlights cover tools for creating professional forms, accepting modern payments, managing events, and improving SEO. You can even schedule […]
Open Channels FM: WordCamp Gdynia 2025 Is Speaking More Than One Language
Something exciting is happening at WordCamp Gdynia 2025 on September 26–28, 2025 and it’s bigger than the coffee breaks and after-party combined. For the first time, the event will feature sessions in both Polish and English. Last year, the organizers noticed something interesting. In the hallways, at the sponsor tables, even over lunch, people naturally […]
Matt: Think Different
Pretty heads down at WordCamp US, which has had amazing energy and talks so far. I wanted to take a moment to note two things, first being a great essay from Dave Winer asking people to Think Different about WordPress. I’ve done this before — asked people to think differently about things, like public writing, […]
Open Channels FM: Closing the Black Friday Prep Gap: Woo’s 2025 Survey Insights
Woo’s latest merchant survey uncovers a growing “preparation gap” for Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM). Larger merchants, especially those earning over $1M annually, are prioritizing website performance optimization over inventory management and preparing months ahead, while many smaller merchants still rely on traditional, last-minute tactics. The findings reveal key shifts shaping the 2025 holiday […]
Weston Ruter: The Site Speed Frontier with Performance Lab and Beyond

At WordCamp US 2025 this year, I’m presenting a talk called “The Site Speed Frontier with Performance Lab and Beyond” with the following description: The Core Performance team has been incubating enhancements for WordPress through the Performance Lab plugin. These have been available for a few years now; some have been merged into core (e.g. […]