WP Tavern WordPress Tavern

On the podcast today we have Mike Demo, Tracy Apps and david wolfpaw. Unusually, it’s less of an interview and more of a roundtable discussion about their experiences in the WordPress community. A few weeks ago, I put out a call for anyone who might be interested in coming on the podcast. Mike Demo reached out to me and said that it would be good to discuss how the WordPress community deals with LGBTQ matters. We start things off with each of the guests introducing themselves and telling us how they ended up working in tech and, more specifically, WordPress. This leads to a discussion of how the job market can be different for people with different identities. We then move onto WordPress and talk through some of the ways that the community has responded to underrepresented groups. We also get into the open source nature of the WordPress project and whether this makes it more or less difficult for change to take place, given that authority is structured differently from most for-profit entities. And we round it all off with the sharing of resources and websites which listeners may find useful, which you can see below.

On the podcast today we have Corey Maass. Corey is a full-stack web developer who works with agencies and businesses, large and small. He specialises in advanced WordPress functionality and building products for, and using, WordPress. Over the last decade or so, SaaS apps have become more and more popular. Not only are we using our computers more, but with the rise of smartphones, we’re connected to our services all the time. There does not appear to be any corner of life where online platforms don’t have some presence. From email to taxis, fitness to food planning and delivery. You can find it all in a SaaS app somewhere. Corey is on the podcast today to talk about why he thinks that building a MVP, or minimum viable product, app on top of WordPress is a good way to start your product journey. We talk about how WordPress comes bundled with many of the features that apps require, user login, roles, permissions and the REST API. This means that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel for the things that WordPress already does. If you’ve toyed with the idea of creating a SaaS app in the past, but never quite got there, this episode is for you.

On the podcast today, we have Lax Mariappan. Lax is a web developer based in the Philippines. He’s an Open Source enthusiast, and lover of all things WordPress, and has been tinkering with websites since high school, but it all changed when he discovered WordPress in 2010. Lax currently works as a Backend Engineer at WebDevStudios. We talk today about Headless WordPress, and it’s a complex topic. Headless is the concept of decoupling the WordPress admin from the frontend of the site. WordPress will continue to work as expected, but the presentation layer will be done by a different technology. React, Gatsby and Remix being some popular choices. This implementation of WordPress is complex, requiring technical knowledge above and beyond that needed for a more typical WordPress install, but it has its benefits. Lax explains how problems can crop up, and how it’s possible to plan ahead and build in solutions for all the problems that you might encounter. If you’ve ever thought about going Headless with WordPress, then the podcast today is for you.

On the podcast today, we have Damon Cook. He’s a longtime user of WordPress, trying it first in around 2008. He’s worked for some of the largest WordPress agencies over the years, but his current role is that of Developer Advocate with WP Engine, where he engages with the WordPress community, trying to figure out where WordPress is headed. Damon is on the podcast to talk about styling WordPress, and how it’s changing. Block-based themes are revolutionising website styling. You’re going to be able to change any aspect of your website from the UI that you’re familiar with. The hope is that it’ll make styling more accessible to a wider audience. Damon talks about the fact that we’re in a period of flux right now. The documentation and tooling needed to work with website styles is maturing, but is by no means complete. We talk through some new concepts which are underpinning all of this.

On the podcast today we have Chris Badgett. Chris is behind LifterLMS, which is a learning management system built as a WordPress plugin. He’s been in the WordPress space since 2008, and has moved his agency away from general website building to concentrating upon e-learning membership sites, course creation and marketing automation. He’s on the podcast today to talk about how WordPress and e-learning are a good fit. Although there’s a flourishing SaaS side to e-learning, Chris is convinced that WordPress allows you to make your LMS site exactly what you want. You won’t be facing the limitations imposed upon you by the platform, and can, if you have the time and skills, modify almost anything to suit your brand and niche. We begin by talking through how well a WordPress based LMS site can scale. We then get into a broad conversation about how online courses have taken off in the last few years. Even before global lockdowns, individuals and businesses were adopting online courses in innovative ways to educate their customers, staff, and the wider public. It’s an interesting podcast and digs into yet another area where WordPress can help people thrive online.

On the podcast today, we have Dennis Dormon. Dennis is the founder of MainWP. A WordPress plugin which enables you to manage multiple WordPress websites from a single dashboard. As you'll hear, the business has changed over the years, as Dennis has learned more about the plugins' target audience. Dennis talks today about how, in the recent past, he's been trying out working with partners as an effective way to increase the plugins reach. As you'll hear, it's a strategy that he's enamored with, given the right partner. We talk about why Dennis built MainWP, and who the plugin was originally aimed at. And it's not what you might expect. It turns out that MainWP is a business which is in just about the perfect spot for bringing on partners. But if you're a developer and have not considered this type of approach with your business, this podcast is for you.