Category: WordPress

Websites constantly publishing information demand many resources, especially from the database server.

Properly configuring the server cache is crucial to ensuring performance. Finding the correct strategy can be challenging.

Index

• No one likes waiting, especially for news
• Identify where you will show your fresh content
• Identify how you will print your fresh content
• How often should you purge the cache?
• Let’s talk about getting caching right

No one likes waiting, especially for news

News websites must push their readers a balance between the latest, the featured, the related, and the sponsored content.

The page load time for this puzzle must be fast, or users will move on to other sites, including search engines.

Not everything can be forever cached to increase speed. In this competitive world, content frozen in time makes no sense.

Websites compete with other websites, AI results, and social networks, which have understood that freshness is everything.

Content is still king but must be delivered properly.

Heavy site traffic websites without caches can consume all server resources until they crash or cause the user to wait a long time in the queue.

CDNs can help resource usage, but big websites must have a server cache strategy.

Identify where you will show your fresh content

The homepage is the most traditional page to start with this strategy. Usually, it will show glimpses of the latest information from every section.

Category archives will work similarly, filtering to narrow searches and dig deeper.

But here is the reality. Due to the traffic volume, the most effective place to show fresh content is in the full view of a story. In CMS like WordPress, this is called a single post template.

While a story develops, you should include related news in parts of your post.

Traditionally, related information can be included between the paragraphs as lists or at the bottom. Featured images are usually included to increase engagement.

When you update a story, it will flush that specific post’s cache.

The idea is not to empty all of your website’s cache every time something changes, as this could even take your site down, but only the relevant content that is related.

Identify how you will print your fresh content

How do you define related content? Usually, you use associated terms, such as tags, categories, or custom lists of posts.

That way, you don’t have to purge specific content manually; you can let the system do the work for you.

Template parts like the header or footer are inserted globally. Similarly, you could define blocks that are synced across your website. These can be great for internal ads or related content lists.

The game’s name is the high cache ratio. The higher the ratio, the faster the response will be.

Now, for the most traditional blocks, let’s say you have one showing your latest posts in the sidebar of all your posts.

If you use regular PHP or server-side processing for this function, you must frequently purge the cache to get the latest version sitewide.

Using client-side technologies like AJAX to keep this content fresh could work, or injecting it like an advertisement.

But what if the user has an ad blocker enabled?

Using the server-side approach is better to ensure everyone sees the same.

Without AJAX, you could, for example, limit clearing the cache to the latest or most visited posts so the performance doesn’t decay too much.

Or, you could use object caching to purge specific queries instead of all your site’s cache. Object caching is designed to store and serve commonly used queries efficiently to ensure smooth rebuilding. It is especially powerful for websites that mostly use static information, such as News websites.

How often should you purge the cache?

It depends on the website. I’ll consider these questions:

• How often do you publish new posts? It doesn’t make sense to purge the cache if nothing changes. If the information constantly changes, does it make sense even to cache it? Generally, it doesn’t, but how often is sometimes a matter of testing.
• Is the website struggling to rebuild the cache? Giving the cache more time to be used can help. Consider upgrading the server-allocated resources, improving your code, and updating the server’s software. Your server shouldn’t struggle to build the cache. To deliver a consistent experience or increase the resources, consider pre-loading the cache when the traffic is low.
• What types of cache are you generating? It may be time to reconsider whether you need a mobile-specific cache or additional versions like AMP. Is merging assets helping? HTTP2/3 can deliver them asynchronously, removing processes. Review who generates the cache. Is it a plugin? Can the server handle it directly? Sometimes, It’s not a matter of how often, but if you can avoid layers of complexity.

Let’s talk about getting caching right

After years of building websites, especially for high-traffic projects like news sites, one thing has become clear: caching can make or break the experience. I’ve seen sites soar with the right strategy and struggle when caching was overlooked. It’s not just about speed; it’s about keeping readers happy and your site running smoothly.

The key is finding what works for your specific needs. There’s no universal formula, but you can start by asking the right questions: How often do you update content? Which parts of your site need to feel fresh? What’s your server’s breaking point? From there, it’s all about fine-tuning—using technology like object caching, targeting specific areas for purging, and testing what keeps things fast without compromising freshness.

Trust me, it’s worth the effort. When your cache is dialed in, your site feels alive—fresh, fast, and ready for anything. Whether it’s the latest news or a popular story gaining traction, you can confidently deliver content that keeps readers returning for more.

So don’t overthink it, but don’t ignore it either. A little time spent on caching today will save you many headaches tomorrow. And if you’re ever unsure, remember: caching isn’t a magic fix; it’s part of the craft. And with a little trial and error, you’ll find your sweet spot.

Jos Velasco.

CC0 licensed photo by Jose Lazo from the WordPress Photo Directory.

On one hand, the native WordPress site builder has become more powerful, requiring fewer plugins than ever. On the other hand, I’ve become more reluctant to touch code, so here is the stack I will use to create websites in 2025.

The latest version of WordPress

Even a beta version if I can be “risky.” After testing new WordPress features, I hate living in the present.

So, WordPress 6.7 for now.

The latest WordPress default theme

Older themes often do not use the latest WordPress features.

Default themes can be “boring,” but consider accessibility from the start.

So, I use the Twenty Twenty-Five theme.

A very good web hosting

I work for DreamHost, so I’m spoiled with DreamPress Managed WordPress.

With good hosting, you don’t have to worry too much about backup, cache, or AI plugins.

I enjoy working online for development, as it is easy to share progress and collaborate with several people without having to sync. So, I use a temporal domain or a Staging site.

And a Macbook Air. I wouldn’t say I like fans.

Good Design tools

But to be honest, I prefer having a sound designer for a solid start with graphics.

Gimp for quick edits and TinyJPG for online compression.

I like working with Figma for vector.

If I need precision to implement a design, I use xScope guides floating on the screen.

I use ImageMagick from the terminal to convert to modern image formats like AVIF.

I like taking pictures, using the WordPress Photo Directory, and referring to photographers.

The Block Visibility plugin

I use it mainly to hide and show sections that don’t look good enough on mobile.

I stick to simple designs. Using Native WordPress blocks like the Grid and Columns makes responsive controls less necessary for each release, but some use cases remain.

Good old Contact form 7 plugin

Not every project needs a contact form, but if it does, I will install Contact Form 7 because it is flexible, popular, and easy to extend.

I wish default themes would start adding even more CSS to form elements so I wouldn’t have to add additional rules.

WP Mail SMTP helps me send e-mails reliably from the server.

The classic Yoast SEO plugin

This plugin solves some things that I care about the most:

• Meta description.
• Social images when sharing a post.
• A powerful sitemap.

Other plugins, depending on the project

Plugins like Social Sharing Block for building a website with a blog or magazine complement my stack.

To collect Mailchimp e-mails, I use MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress.

WooCommerce is my favorite for e-commerce, and the list will continue, but ask me if you need anything.

I love using real block plugins that extend and adopt the WordPress way of doing things.

If you need help building a website in 2025, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Both WordPress communities and gyms serve as places where people come together to learn, grow, and connect.

Just as a gym provides resources for physical fitness, a WordPress community offers a foundation for technical and creative growth.

Let’s dive into how these communities compare, the role of skilled leaders, and the challenges that arise when leaders lack the right focus.

WordPress Community Membership vs. Gym Membership

• Commitment is Key: Both a gym membership and a WordPress community require consistent effort to see results. Just having a gym card won’t get you fit, and simply joining a WordPress community won’t enhance your skills. Active participation is the fuel that powers progress in both places.

• Diverse Levels of Experience: Gyms host everyone from beginners to seasoned athletes, and WordPress communities similarly include newbies and veterans. This diversity adds to the richness of the experience, allowing people to learn from one another, celebrate shared milestones, and support each other’s growth.

• A Welcoming, Inclusive Environment: A gym isn’t just a place with equipment; it’s a space where people feel encouraged to reach their goals. WordPress communities, whether through meetups, WordPress events, or WordCamps, serve the same purpose: providing resources, mentorship, and a space for mutual support.

The Role of WordPress Event Organizers and Gym Trainers

WordPress event organizers and gym trainers create the conditions that enable people to improve and achieve. Skilled leaders in both arenas bring the following:

• Guidance and Structure: Gym trainers develop workout plans, introduce new exercises, and ensure that people are exercising safely. Similarly, WordPress organizers curate speakers, plan sessions, and foster environments that support learning and connection. Both roles require a keen sense of each person’s unique needs, from beginners to advanced members.

• Encouragement and Empowerment: Trainers and organizers motivate their communities. Trainers cheer you on through difficult workouts, while WordPress organizers inspire participants with new ideas and techniques. Both roles help participants push their limits and celebrate personal growth.

• Creating a Sense of Community: Skilled trainers and organizers foster a sense of belonging. When people feel part of a community that genuinely values their growth, they’re more likely to engage, connect, and make a real commitment.

Challenges When There Aren’t Enough Leaders

If a gym doesn’t have enough trainers or a WordPress community lacks organizers, the experience can suffer:

• Lack of Guidance: Without sufficient trainers, gym members may miss out on personalized advice or training techniques, which can lead to frustration or even injuries. Similarly, without enough WordPress organizers, the quality and frequency of events may decline, leaving attendees without the consistent support they need to progress.

• Burnout Among Leaders: When a few trainers or organizers try to cover too many responsibilities, they risk burnout. This can lead to exhaustion, mistakes, and eventually, a decrease in the quality of support they provide. For communities to thrive, the workload needs to be balanced, with enough dedicated individuals to sustain the energy and engagement of the group.

• Disengagement and Frustration: If members don’t receive the guidance they need, they may lose interest. For a WordPress community, infrequent or poorly organized events might mean attendees feel disconnected, limiting their opportunity to learn and build valuable connections.

The Impact of Self-Serving or Unskilled Leaders

When trainers or organizers lack the skills or have a self-serving agenda, it can harm the community:

• Unskilled Leaders Create Risk: Unskilled gym trainers may teach poor form or unsafe techniques, leading to injury or frustration among members. In a WordPress community, an inexperienced organizer may fail to deliver events that meet participants’ needs, missing key details or overlooking valuable resources. This lack of expertise can make the community feel scattered or disorganized.

• Self-Interest Erodes Trust: When leaders focus more on personal gain than on the community’s well-being, trust erodes. For example, if a trainer prioritizes selling products or services, members may feel manipulated rather than supported. In a WordPress setting, organizers who use events for self-promotion risk alienating attendees who expect a genuine, shared learning experience.

• Community Connection Weakens: Both gyms and WordPress communities thrive on connection and trust. When leaders are overly focused on themselves or lack the necessary skills, people feel more like “customers” than valued community members. This dynamic can diminish engagement, as participants sense a lack of shared commitment to their growth.

The Importance of Skilled, Community-Oriented Leaders

Whether in the gym or a WordPress community, skilled leaders who genuinely care about others’ progress are essential. They create a positive, welcoming environment where people feel safe to try new things, make mistakes, and grow. Leaders who are skilled, passionate, and focused on community build a sense of unity that inspires members to keep coming back, striving, and supporting one another.

In the end, both gyms and WordPress communities serve as spaces where people can challenge themselves, build new skills, and connect with others. With the right leaders and an inclusive spirit, these communities empower individuals to become the best versions of themselves while contributing to a positive, growth-oriented atmosphere for everyone involved.

Jos Velasco.

CC0 licensed photo by Jeffrey Paul from the WordPress Photo Directory.

One key challenge when generating content with AI tools like ChatGPT is seamlessly transferring that content while maintaining proper formatting. Luckily, WordPress’s Block Editor (also known as Gutenberg) offers excellent markdown support, making this process incredibly easy.

Step-by-Step Guide to Pasting ChatGPT-Generated Content

1. Generate Content in ChatGPT or similar

You can begin by generating your content in ChatGPT. Once the text is ready, please highlight it and copy it to your clipboard. If you don’t need markup formatting, you can ask ChatGPT to generate a plain version to copy and paste.

2. Open Your WordPress Editor

If you need enriched text, go to your WordPress dashboard and create a new post or page. The Block Editor provides a flexible way to work with different types of content blocks, such as text, images, and more.

3. Paste Your Content

In the WordPress Block Editor, paste your copied content directly into the editor. WordPress will automatically detect any markdown-like formatting from ChatGPT (such as headings, bold text, lists, etc.) and apply the corresponding styles in the editor. This means you won’t need to adjust most formatting manually — WordPress does it for you!

Example:

If ChatGPT outputs a bulleted list or formatted headings (like H2 or H3), WordPress will convert them into the proper blocks, saving you time and ensuring a clean layout:

Markdown Example Breakdown:

# creates an H1 heading.
## creates H2 subheadings.
1., 2., 3. formats an ordered list.
**Bold text** is used for emphasis.
– creates a bullet point for unordered lists.

4. Fine-Tune Formatting in the Block Editor

While WordPress respects basic markdown, you may want to tweak specific elements for a more polished look. The Block Editor allows you to add or modify blocks easily, embed media, or customize layout. Skimming through and ensuring everything looks just right is a good practice.

Exporting Your Text Using the Preview Post Feature

One of WordPress’s lesser-known but handy features is the ability to preview a post before publishing it. Here’s how you can use this feature to export your text, making it easy to share, store, or review the final formatted version of your post.

Steps to Export Text:

1. Click “Preview”: After pasting and formatting your content in WordPress, click the “Preview” button in the top right corner.
2. View in a New Tab: WordPress will generate a preview of your post in a new tab. Here, you can see exactly how your content will appear to readers once published.
3. Copy the Text from Preview: If you want to export the formatted text, you can easily select and copy the text directly from the preview window. This allows you to use the final formatted content elsewhere or share it with others for review.

The preview may copy styles from your website, but you can solve that by cleaning the format when you paste it into programs like text processors.

Why This Workflow Is a Game-Changer

Using this workflow eliminates the hassle of manually adjusting formatting when moving text between different platforms. The Block Editor’s ability to recognize markdown enhances productivity and ensures a seamless writing experience. And with the Preview Post feature, you can easily export or share the finished product before it goes live.

This workflow is especially useful for bloggers, marketers, or anyone managing website content creation. It speeds up the process and ensures that your posts are properly formatted without extra effort.

What tips for copying and pasting from AI without losing format did I miss?

Jos. (With the help of AI).

Organizing good WordPress meetups without a budget is possible with creativity. Here is a list to help you succeed without spending money.

Find free venues

Having more than one venue is essential because free places can start charging, or they could close. Hosting your WordPress events in several venues around the city is a good idea, as everyone can have an almost free opportunity to attend.

Cafes or restaurants

Some cafes or small restaurants offer free space if attendees are willing to buy drinks or snacks. You can always negotiate a minimum amount with the venue and register a balance.

Private co-working spaces

Some co-working spaces offer free meeting rooms for community events in exchange for exposure. One thing I like about co-working spaces is that they are usually safer than public spaces.

Public spaces like libraries

Libraries often have meeting rooms that can be reserved for free or for a nominal fee. Just remember that public spaces may need extra eyes on security for belongings.

You can always organize social events like photo walks. These activities allow attendees to connect at a profound level at no cost while contributing to the WordPress Photo Directory.

What I learned by organizing the first Bogotá Photo Walk event

Universities or colleges

Some institutions will support community events if they align with educational purposes, which is very important in WordPress. They usually have auditoriums and can serve as hosts for WordCamps if a good relationship with the community is established.

Offer a Simple, Value-Driven Program

Focus on Content

The most important part of a meetup is the value of the content. Plan sessions that focus on practical knowledge, like using the WordPress Site Editor, beginner tutorials, or SEO tips.

Workshops

Hands-on workshops where participants can build or improve their WordPress sites are always popular. If you can’t bring in guest speakers, leverage your own knowledge and that of community members.

Lightning talks or open mic

Have attendees give 5-minute talks about their favorite plugins, themes, or tips. This way, the community participates, and you don’t have to rely on external speakers.

Leverage the WordPress Community

Volunteers

All Meetups and WordCamps are possible thanks to the people who donate their time. Consider that most of the organizing efforts can be done virtually, but there are some tasks that must have them in person. Volunteers can also share the event so it reaches more people.

Speakers

Reach out to experienced WordPress users or professionals who are willing to speak for free. Many are happy to share their expertise for exposure or as a way to give back to the community.

You can find speakers for your WordPress Events at websites like wpspeakers.com.

Use Free Promotion Tools

Meetup.com WordPress Sponsorship

The WordPress Foundation sponsors Meetup.com subscriptions for WordPress groups. You can set up and promote your event for free using this sponsorship. You can apply for it via the WordPress Meetup Program.

Everyone can be an organizer!

All official WordPress events that are near your physical location, will appear directly on the WordPress dashboard. Their reach is organic for people who actually use WordPress.

Social media

Promote your event on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn for free. Use relevant hashtags to reach a broader audience. Personally, I’ve seen that #wordpress works very well on most platforms, but you can be more specific.

Local Groups and Forums

You can announce your meetup in local tech or WordPress Facebook groups, Slacks, LinkedIn groups, or online forums. You could also post on Reddit or niche platforms like local tech blogs.

Ask for In-Kind Sponsorships

Local businesses

Instead of asking for cash, approach local businesses (such as web design agencies or hosting companies) and ask for in-kind support, such as free refreshments, venue space, or printing flyers.

This way, you can focus on organizing the event rather than presenting invoices.

Tech companies

Some hosting providers may sponsor the event in exchange for a mention, a logo on event materials, or a short time to speak.

To increase the chances of having a sponsor, try to find a way to prove the reach and ROI. I know this may not be easy, but it is possible.

Swag or giveaways

Ask companies for free swag (e.g., stickers, t-shirts, notebooks) that you can hand out at the event. This will give attendees something to take away and promote the companies’ brands at no cost to you.

Create a Networking Opportunity

WordPress is so big that creating a safe space to talk with others about our challenges as developers, designers, and WordPress users is a big part of events.

Open Discussions

Use part of the meetup for networking or Q&A sessions where attendees can ask WordPress-related questions and share experiences.

Collaborate on projects

Encourage collaboration among attendees by contributing to local WordPress websites or joining the global WordPress contributor days.

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Using these strategies, you can host a successful WordPress meetup without a budget. The key is focusing on the community’s passion for WordPress and leveraging free resources.

What other tips for hosting free events did I miss? Have you tried using co-working spaces?

Jos Velasco.

CC0 licensed photo by Md Rashed Hossain from the WordPress Photo Directory.

Many tasks and details must be handled to make WordCamps and Meetups successful. While organizers and volunteers are great at handling surprises during the event, reviewing a checklist like this can help prevent last-minute issues and make everything run more smoothly.

Badges at the registration desk

Prepare the registration desk with check-in sheets, badges, lanyards, and pens. Many times, check-in systems like CampTix depend on the internet. Having a mobile hotspot or an offline system for registration in case Wi-Fi goes down is often overlooked.

Organize the badges alphabetically by name if you have printed them. If you can, I suggest you order them by columns, one per letter.

Depending on the number of attendees, it might be wise to separate them by categories, for example, attendees, speakers, sponsors, and organizers. When just a few people are left to register, you can mix all the categories into one pool.

The idea is to try to help people find themselves easily.

It is nice to help attendees by attaching the lanyard to their badge, but remember they can do it independently, saving everyone some time.

Respect your organizer’s time. Close the registration desk at a reasonable time and put a sign indicating that someone will help register people who are late at specific times.

Gather those precious slides

Access to the final version of your speaker’s presentations can relieve stress. Sometimes, you would need to use a different computer for the presentation, and authenticating to download or open the slides can be time-consuming.

You don’t want your audience to spend their time watching how you configure the presentation and try to find the “present now” button. It’s usually at the top right, by the way.

Exporting the slides as PDFs is an alternative to making the format compatible.

There are also plugins like Presentation Block that allow you to experiment and create slides using the WordPress Site Editor:

Presentation Block

I mention this plugin because we should promote open source more. Access should be easier and not dependent on a company’s software.

If slides can be uploaded and consumed directly from a website, people are more likely to find them.

Will the presentation be streamed? Recorded? Follow the WordPress.tv submission guidelines.

The Q&A session is essential, but if there is not enough time left, kindly ask the audience to continue the conversation with the speaker outside.

The easy-to-miss HDMI Adapter

Now that you can access the slides think about how you will show them on a bigger screen.

Wireless connections can be slow, mainly if the presentation contains video.

A video call might be a good idea for wirelessly connecting and presenting different sources. Still, it generates some unwanted delays and elements on the screen, like the name of the sharing person or a UI more suited for virtual meetings.

To avoid delays, using an HDMI cable will ensure your image quality is as high as possible.

Just remember to bring the adapter and test it to ensure it works.

Really: Make visual contact to make sure it physically exists. Those things usually get lost.

Can you print that?

Placing clear, visible signage around the venue for registration, session rooms, restrooms, and catering areas is often overlooked, leading to confusion for attendees.

Look at the gorgeous work from WordCamp Asia. The amount of pieces they designed is
genuinely mesmerizing:

The Design Journey: Bringing WordCamp Asia 2024 to Life

If, for some reason, you need an extra sign, remember to bring a printer or appropriate markers for last-minute changes and volunteers with drawing skills.

Pay proper attention to the sponsors

Be the first to arrive at the event before them.

If possible, mark the positions of each sponsor on each table or booth as straightforwardly as possible so you don’t have to look at the map.

Where are their chairs going to be? Behind each table? Where are their banners going to be displayed? Is there enough space between each table?

Shared tables should also be marked very clearly to avoid confusion.

Is there enough room for everyone to enjoy visiting them?

When will they make a raffle?

Who is going to do this and that?

Here are some ideas of roles that are not usually assigned or things that we typically forget:

• Interview attendees and promote the event hashtag; who are your media partners? Identify them.
• Not having contact information for venue staff, A/V teams, security (things can get “lost”), and medical personnel can lead to delays in addressing issues like power outages or medical emergencies.
• Ensure extra batteries, microphones, cables, and backup projectors or adapters are available in case of equipment failures.
• While Wi-Fi is usually set up, organizers often forget to test its strength for large crowds. If too many people use the network, the speed can slow down, impacting live streams or speaker demos.
• Test QR codes if you are going to use any. Can you update their URLs? Who will update the website information for the day of the event? You probably won’t need to sell tickets anymore!
• Speakers may need water during their presentations, but providing easily accessible water backstage or in session rooms is often forgotten.
• Having a visible clock or a timekeeper for each session to ensure speakers stay on schedule is often missed, leading to delayed sessions. You can easily create “5 or 10 minutes left” signs to show as a reminder to the speakers.
• A designated quiet space where volunteers and speakers can rest or take a break is essential but often needs to be noticed amidst the hustle and bustle.
• Forgetting small amounts of cash or credit card access for unanticipated expenses (e.g., parking, extra food, or supplies) can lead to stress. Speaking of food, ensure there are options for everyone. Even if people can eat most of it, healthy choices are appreciated.
• Ensure there is a straightforward process or a space (like a bulletin board or social media) for making last-minute announcements, such as room changes or speaker cancellations.
• Overlooking small health essentials like hand sanitizers, masks, or tissues at the registration desk or in common areas is common, especially in a post-pandemic world. If multiple speakers share microphones, sanitizing them between uses is often forgotten but essential for health safety.
• Organizers sometimes forget to check in regularly with volunteers throughout the day to ensure they have everything they need and aren’t overwhelmed.
• Ensure your photographer and videographer know the key moments to capture and any specific branding shots (e.g., sponsor logos, speakers) you need for post-event promotion. Will you cover the event in real-time? How will the content be shared with descriptions?
• Tripods for the family photo.
• It is usually better to have each speaker use their laptop since they are familiar with their operating system and unique configurations.

Thank you, WordCamp Bogotá 2024, for making me learn so much and meet amazing people worldwide.

I probably forgot many things, so please provide one or two details you think we always miss as organizers.

Jos Velasco.

Using AI to build WordPress websites can streamline the design and development process, making it more efficient. I’ll cover some areas where AI can help create professionally designed, longer-lasting websites.

Use AI for new WordPress websites

AI can help you the most when you have nothing. This will turn a bit meta, but I asked ChatGPT about the best use of AI for building WordPress websites, and while I don’t agree with all the answers, it gave me an outline to work with.

The same can happen when you create a website using AI. Right now, AI-building solutions integrated with WordPress via themes and plugins ask you a couple of questions and provide you with the most common pages and patterns your website will probably need.

These tools will ask you for the name of your site and your business or project category. Then, they will ask you to describe your business. This regular prompt internally generates the pages with appropriate patterns, installs the recommended plugins, and “magically” publishes your website.

Avoid AI theme and plugin dependencies

When you ask AI for something, do you care about what AI engine you are using? Unless it is trained for a particular topic or documentation, probably not. You care about the content, not about who “generates” it.

So, if you want a WordPress website, it should be built with Core blocks to last longer and be more compatible. Unless you need something much more specific at a fair amount that the AI builder will provide, your website should not be tied to a plugin or theme forever.

You can copy the generated text from an AI prompt. In the same way, you should be able to take your site anywhere, change the theme, and extend it.

Improve your website’s accessibility with AI

If an automated tool can understand your website and translate it without too many errors, humans will probably be able to do the same.

You can use AI to speed up some processes that improve accessibility. For example, it is possible to use AI to generate descriptive alt text for images, ensuring users who rely on screen readers get accurate descriptions of your visual content. But please make sure those descriptions make sense.

Video content in social networks like TikTok makes adding captions to your content accessible. But I can’t stress enough that these are just a base you should edit to improve.

I love that accessibility improvements help not only your users but also search engines understand and rank your content better.

Use AI for existing WordPress websites

If your website has already been created, all its design patterns are in place, and there is not much code to do, it’s time for content improvements.

Your first posts were probably written 100% without AI assistance. Why don’t you try to complement them using AI? You will likely find details that you didn’t consider. Remember, each time you ask AI more deeply, it can give you interesting ideas.

Have you seen how Netflix and other video platforms update the covers of their movies and series and sometimes rearrange the same content to make it more attractive? You can accomplish this quick refresh with AI tools, generating new meta descriptions and social titles for your existing pages and posts with plugins like Yoast and AI-featured images with plugins like Jetpack.

AI will help you create your website and offer services to your customers. Remember chatbots? They’re back and more powerful than ever!
AI chatbots can support your visitors by handling frequently asked questions, troubleshooting issues, and guiding them through processes like product selection. For more complex problems, they can create support tickets or even transfer to a human representative when needed. They can connect to a CRM, make appointments, and communicate in several languages.

Have you used AI to create websites? AI works excellently with WordPress templates and blocks in general, and we are getting close to using it not only to create a basic first version of websites but also at later stages, like maintenance and optimization.

Jos Velasco.

P.S. This post-featured image was created with AI, so we won’t know who deserves the credit.

Whenever I see a plugin with a block available to insert in WordPress, I wonder if it is just a fancy wrapper or if it enables you to configure it properly.

Disguised shortcodes

One way to distinguish if a plugin’s development is active or involved with the community is to look at how its blocks work. If the block doesn’t let you configure it but only calls it from the block editor, it’s a glorified shortcode.

But honestly, I prefer shortcodes that at least allow parameters instead of just the illusion of a fully customizable block.

Block plugins with no options look weird, and most of the time, when you go to their actual settings page, the interface feels outdated. It’s as if they were trying to catch up but didn’t really adapt.

Blocks with Non-Native settings

Settings that could be extensions of the WordPress Core but reinvent the wheel? I hate them. Funky UI? Not for me.

Those remind me of the unmentionable builders since they usually look unprofessional or cluttered. There is enough clutter right now in Core; I don’t want more.

This is probably the most complex challenge for plugin developers since some Core options cannot be extended easily or are hard to maintain.

I can’t stand suites of blocks that duplicate the Core ones without extending them that much. If yours is not better, why try to replace them and create a dependency?

Real WordPress blocks

Block plugins that make sense and make you think: Why is this not in WordPress core yet?

Such as block visibility settings that help you further configure your native blocks.

Or those that naturally extend the way WordPress blocks can reorder and nest.

For me, avoiding technical things like checking for the lowest-priority hooks is always a win. (I mostly don’t touch code.) Blocks allow you to put things where you want them, whether in a row, grid, div or wherever you wish.

WooCommerce block templates are almost there. You can’t configure them 100%, but that’s an excellent example of customization without having to code.

I’ve stopped creating “real” blocks and try constantly to only need to create block variations with the needed custom functionality and UI on top. 
Going that way has felt the best, to get the maximum use out of core, I don’t have to write all of the relevant pieces, but can instead and only in parts rely on Unittests, e2e tests, translations and stable components.

—Carsten Bach

Non-real blocks are not that bad

I lied. Unfortunately, I still use low-quality blocks that at least work well in the front end. But hear me out: the minute there is something better that uses real blocks, I replace them with joy.

What is your favorite block plugin? Mine is probably Block Visibility.

Jos Velasco.

Credit of the image: Blocks landing page on WordPress.org.

In a community that organizes events such as Meetups or WordCamps, having a leader is good, but having a group of leaders is always better.

“WordCamps are about building local communities.”

The Organizing Team – WordCamp Organizer Handbook

Delegate, delegate, delegate

It can be easy for one person to organize small events, like local meetups. Once the process is set, say, you have the venue, the budget, the sponsors, and the speakers in place, there is no real need to have a lot of people involved. Many people organizing a small event could even slow down the process.

Meetups

But when a community grows, there will be more work to share. Bigger venues mean more expenses, attendees, and sponsors to handle. If the small team does not increase, some processes will get stuck.

More hands mean the main organizers can delegate their work. Delegating means stopping controlling everything or micromanaging every decision, which is something you must learn when you are not used to it.

To keep things moving smoothly, some decisions should be made by a specific team without having to be approved by the lead organizer.

Teams should be flexible

Each stage of a big event has different needs. For example, having a team in charge of speakers from the beginning may not make sense. Other teams, like design, will need more work from the beginning through all stages.

This is especially true when it’s the first time you’ve organized a big event or the brand needs to be on point. Do you have a community logo? What are the colors? The Wapuu? The concept? Will you continue with what the community has been doing or create something new?

Continuing with this example, if we define the teams from the start, we could ask the people in charge of the speaker selection to participate in other teams. Some people who know how best to fill the event’s speaker needs also probably know how things would look more appealing to attendees or offer feedback, even if unfamiliar with the design tools.

The same would apply to other teams’ areas of responsibility, such as fundraising, food, afterparty, swag, etc.

WordCamps

Open the discussion

It is helpful to define a uniform style and objectives for an event. Organizing events democratically is not always possible or desirable, but listening to everyone and discussing openly is crucial.

It is okay to decline suggestions, but making people feel their work is valuable is a sign of respect.

Having private meetings can help prevent distractions from the whole team, but final decisions should be made by the group in public. Showing the entire process is not needed, but validation from the team serves as a tool to get everyone excited about the project’s progress.

WordCamps, Meetups, and special WordPress events are created for and by the community—volunteers from the local meetup who support WordPress. Be nice!

“I agree that I am not an employee of the WordPress Foundation or any subsidiary of the Foundation, and am participating in WordCamp exclusively as a volunteer.”

Agreement among WordCamp Organizers, Speakers, Sponsors, and Volunteers

A messaging app like Telegram can help you create project channels such as design, web, or sponsors while preserving users’ privacy, such as not showing their phone numbers.

For more advanced decisions, GitHub can serve as a tool to generate async discussions, even without coding.

These tools can help you before, during, and after the event, as things can get complicated for attendees from far away.

Designate a project manager

Someone who can help as a producer, organizing tasks and subtasks and keeping track of everyone’s progress in case something is needed.

A project manager can assign tasks to people when the due date approaches. The manager can also run the meetings, stop the synchronous meetings when they are not needed, and ask everyone how they feel and what they need to accomplish what they have been assigned.

What tools do we need to use and when? Some tools are easier to use than others, but at what cost? Organize access and grant proper permissions. Read what tools are the most helpful and discard the others.

Everything created should help the next generation of organizers so they don’t have to redo all the work but build on top.

Keep the ball rolling

For significant events like the flagship WordCamps, the work is continuous. The new host city will be announced when the event ends! This same principle can be applied to smaller events, especially to have enough time between events.

If you aim to be one of the organizer leaders for a particular date, they suggest you join the team years before so you can learn about the event’s unique needs.

“It’s often tempting, especially if you’ve organized a lot of events, to say, “This is easier if I do it myself.” But the reality is that we’re all people, with our own lives and problems, and we never know when something will happen that will force us to step away from the community.
When you organize a community or an event, you always have to take into account the “bus factor” of each position. If I’m the organizer of a meetup and tomorrow a bus runs over me, are there enough people willing and is everything documented so that someone else can take my place?”

— Nilo Velez.

Solid communities have numerous organizers, so even if someone fails for some reason or wants a deserved break, there is always a backup. More than one developer, more than one designer, and so on can help smooth the process of the following events.

Jos Velasco.

Please add your experiences in the comments about adding enough organizers and showing trust in them. Or send me a private message.

CC0 licensed photo by jeremy80 from the WordPress Photo Directory.

Do you want a fast website or one that looks perfect before it starts to appear? If you build your website using many scripts or external resources, it may not start showing up the information quickly.

When users visit a website, scripts may block its rendering while it loads. One common culprit is JavaScript. There is even a name for it: Render-blocking.

Search engines take speed very seriously, especially for the top section of your website, commonly known as above-the-fold.

If your website doesn’t feel snappy, users may leave. Wasting time is frustrating. I suggest you start showing content as soon as possible, even if it looks imperfect.

Nobody likes loading bars.

Fortunately, there are ways to prevent scripts from blocking your website’s loading.

If you use WordPress and many plugins, Query Monitor can help detect the scripts that take longer to load, including external HTTP requests. To prevent loading problems, I prefer to use the fewest plugins and scripts or try to configure them better.

Inlining your external JavaScript means you can include external scripts so they don’t make external requests. However, always test whether including everything is the best approach; it is always a game of balancing aesthetics vs. speed. If your HTML document grows too much, it can be worse than calling external scripts.

Async or Defer the scripts and assets not crucial for your website to work: fonts, CSS, and scripts. The goal is to use today’s HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 protocols to deliver data more efficiently.

Ironically, if you used to combine scripts in the past, it may be time to review this strategy. I realized I was overoptimizing websites, making them slower to today’s standards.

Delivering websites using compression algorithms such as GZIP or Brotli can make them much faster. Server cache and CDNs can help you serve the assets quicker and closer to a user’s location.

I love how the WordPress Site Editor renders content by default, inlining CSS only to the blocks used on a particular page. A good block-based theme, like Twenty Twenty-Four, can make a difference when optimizing.

Jos Velasco.

If you like this kind of content that tries to explain things in a non-technical way, please share and subscribe. Please feel free to contact me with questions about WordPress or hosting websites.

CC0 licensed photo by mufshid from the WordPress Photo Directory.

Nowadays, it’s easy to run a web server locally on your computer. Multiple products even handle the complex configuration part for you. Still, I prefer to develop WordPress websites on a server connected to the Internet.

I want multiple people to collaborate simultaneously

Developing locally for small projects is very flexible. For example, you can choose to connect your code to a code repository or not. Depending on the project size, you can define different environments to work in, such as development mode and production. Or not.

Developing on your local machine can be faster and more organized, but it requires deployments so others can see your work as a developer. That means pushing your code and/or database to an accessible server.

That is when things can get messy. When you publish your changes, you must still follow processes like clearing the cache, synchronizing the database, or checking that everything is fine. You can also wait for your customer to report that things have broken again—sad, true story.

What if you want to show your progress before pushing the changes? Of course, there are ways to do so, like recording a video or creating a “magic” preview link if the tool you choose to develop locally allows you to do it.

I heard a brilliant idea about complex database migrations: What if you never needed to migrate in the first place? It sounds like it is just for people who like to live dangerously, right?

In that case, the guy talked about creating bridges between code versions. I won’t do that, but it got me thinking things can get more manageable if we skip migrations.

Migrating a WordPress site is very polished now, but I still have to occasionally search for and replace strings. Serialized data, I’m talking to you!

I like working on the real server

The nature of WordPress is to work online. You do not develop every bit of code from scratch. For example, plugins will probably not be connected to a local repository. Also, for websites in production, there is likely always someone making changes to the content.

Since WordPress’s present and future are based on blocks, even building most of the site’s templates is, in reality, content that can be connected to a repository but most likely doesn’t need to. Revisions are added to these pieces to undo precise changes, and real-time collaboration is coming!

Working on a Staging WordPress for small or risky changes makes more sense for most projects.

This will sound cheesy or weird, but I like to feel a website’s real speed. For example, I can detect if it is slow or if the images are too heavy just by browsing it. Developing locally can cause you to lose this.

Most programmers have tried to convince me to develop locally, and my workflow could be better if I stopped doing it online. One thing is sure: I’ve seen most of them get in trouble with their strategy. I prefer troubleshooting WordPress at the application level than everything else.

Jos Velasco.

If you want to discuss developing websites efficiently with WordPress or have any questions, please get in touch with me. If you liked this post, please share it with your friends or network.

CC0 licensed photo by annezazu from the WordPress Photo Directory.

There are always trends on the web—promises of new shiny 3D worlds that will revolutionize how we make websites. Most of them vanish as time goes by.

After Flash thankfully declined, and so did the websites with intros, a more accessible web prevailed, which was more boring to look at but with crawlable content.

It was hard to animate objects again, and apps were born. Magazines could animate even the flip of their pages, recreating the eternal symbolism of paper within the digital world.

Most apps were, in reality, glorified websites—expensive monsters whose content was complicated to update. RSS feeds were their combustible.

Meanwhile, flat icons removed the personality of classic textured design, and app families started to look too much alike. 

Some apps had to split in two, and so did their users.

The notifications war started, competing for attention.

The web was slow, but it still learned from these new standards.

You could save web shortcuts that looked like an app! Boring!

Sliders appeared. Iuuck!

As with each trend, everyone wanted to make quick money, but after a while, they stopped talking about it.

AI seems to be a giant magnet for everyone, not just fools!

But, even Google presents its answers with information that seems to be everything but wise.

AI is pretty affordable for playing with HTML blocks. But, it still needs much work from humans to sell itself or good documentation to work decently.

Frankly, generating good documentation from which to pull information takes a lot of work, and most humans work hard only if they think they’ll obtain easy gold.

Jos Velasco.

Follow me for these kinds of texts that AI has not yet written. P.S. Did you see how I skipped blockchain even from this mini-essay?

CC0 licensed photo by Sam Alderson from the WordPress Photo Directory.

I don’t work primarily on creating code, so I don’t consider myself a programmer. I use the code of others to build websites. I add some code when the WordPress Site Editor or the plugins I use are not enough for a project.

But honestly, when that code is not CSS, it is primarily snippets I find online.

Shame! Shame! Shame!

Not really, not in my case. I’m very proud of my situation. Years ago, after obtaining my engineering degree, I realized I didn’t want to make a living out of coding. I prefer being a super user.

I’ll explain later what a super user is. By the way, customers usually call me a programmer, probably because I deliver them programmed websites.

I use the WordPress Core as much as possible

Sticking to WordPress’s Core functions and the default themes provided by the Make WordPress Themes team has saved me a lot of headaches. Each year, I’m eager to test the new theme.

For something to be considered for Core, it must be accessible and well-made. Of course, it’s not bulletproof, but using this work is a good idea. It usually runs faster and is safer than commercial options.

Commercial options can be fancier but require more work to maintain. When people abandon their products, you are forced to find replacements. Overall, WordPress has an excellent reputation for backward compatibility because the WordPress community cares.

Sometimes, I still activate Gutenberg to avoid having to install plugins. The font library is the latest addition to my toolset and is now included in Core. The next one is the Grid variation of the Group block.

I still have a few favorite plugins, like Block Visibility. Plugins can help you alleviate what the Core is still lacking. Sometimes, they are unavoidable, but that’s fine!

So, I try to avoid coding but choose the best themes and plugins whenever possible.

I am a WordPress developer

Some say you are not a developer if you don’t code enough. Or if you don’t contribute to the lines of code that constitute WordPress.

While I implement, or however you want to call it, WordPress websites powered by WordPress, I test a lot. I’m a super user.

I try to report things that don’t work or could work better to the community and my employer, DreamHost.

If you don’t make websites regularly but still want to test WordPress in a fun way, there is a fantastic program with testing instructions. You don’t even need to set up a technical environment!

In one way or another, I feel I’m a WordPress developer because I contribute to developing this beautiful platform.

Early opportunities to Test WordPress 6.6

Jos Velasco.

If you have any questions about WordPress, programming, developing websites, or hosting, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

CC0 licensed photo by Shiva Shanker Bhatta from the WordPress Photo Directory.

Welcome to my home…page, I hope you feel at home and get to know me better. Feel free to call me if you need help. I’ll be around.

I used to have my website as my homepage whenever I opened my browser. This helped me remember to refresh things and, as a mirror, see if what was said in the description matched my perception.

Since I rarely close my browser nowadays, having a homepage set in the browser is not that useful. Still, my website is my home online, and I’d like my guests to feel as comfortable as possible.

So, I Google myself from time to time and update my home sweet homepage. When I add a post, I do mini updates, like moving around furniture blocks.

Waiting time

Sorry for your waiting time. I know things could still be faster, but as this place is also a mini research laboratory, I sometimes run the latest experiments.

Like this one: I hope you enjoy AVIF images as much as I do. And if you didn’t notice them, that was the idea!

Welcome to the lobby. I hope you get to know me quickly. I know, I know! What I do shouldn’t define who I am, but this space mainly shows off my professional skills. I even have a picture of some of the members of my WordPress family for you to see.

I don’t know if this is my house or office; it’s both. I do remote work.

Thanks for visiting my front door

The front door is usually not the most visited page on websites. Each blog post is a hall that connects to the front door. Some standards, like the logo, usually take you to the home page.

The homepage is where you can learn more about everything you can find on the house. In my case, I like to present a quick intro of who I am. It’s like a welcome mat.

Do these analogies sound cheesy to you? That’s the intention: to make my home cozy and personal. If you don’t like it, you know where the exit is, which made me remember those annoying popups that “forced” you to stay.

My living room does not have a dynamic gallery. I like having everything in order and don’t like revolving or flashy things like sliders. I enjoy selling, but with class, I give the visitors control rather than make them think I’m in a hurry to sell.

I’m not trying to convince you of who I am; I’m just sharing little clues, like cookies in a jar. You can take some and help me convince others if you want.

Call me if you need me

You are at your house; feel like you are at your home—really! You can explore and call me if you need me. I’m around if you need help.

Everything should be easy to find: the kitchen is the contact form. Over there are my social networks, a search form, an archive of posts, and an about me. Is it too too standard or boring? I want it to produce a sense of familiarity and be a digital couch with a fireplace.

Please feel free to use the restroom to send me comments or share my posts with a click and subscribe.

I’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for you to hang out. Look around, and enjoy your stay. Come back whenever you want; the door is always open 24/7.

Jos Velasco.

CC0 licensed photo by Marcus Burnette from the WordPress Photo Directory.

The best size for uploading images to WordPress will depend on your theme’s design and image purpose. If your page or post only has one image and you want it to look great when sharing the URL on social networks, you could try 1200 x 630 pixels for a first good size.

What is the recommended image size for a page or post content?

Say you are writing a blog post. If you plan to use images just for decoration or to provide context to your written content, you won’t probably need them to cover the whole screen. Even for a website focused on visual content, like a photographic portfolio, you may not want to display them in the biggest size that you have.

For example, huge vertical images force the user to scroll on a small screen. For artistic purposes, this could break the composition.

Big images are heavy, and they usually take longer to load. A good idea to show bigger images could be to use the native WordPress lightbox function to expand them when you click on them. This would offer a fast experience for most users while allowing you to see the image with more details if needed.

If you use a group of images, also known as a gallery, make the thumbnails big enough to see what the image is about but not so big that expanding them on smaller screens like a mobile device makes no sense. I’ve seen images on a lightbox that appear even smaller than the original due to the controls of the lightbox.

How to insert images in WordPress

The good thing about the WordPress Editor is that if you insert an Image or even a cover block that uses them as a background, WordPress generates responsive images. This allows the software to automatically use and display the correct image version based on a device’s screen size.

Even if you select a giant version of an image—in my case, I love to insert the images at the double size of the container so they look crisp on retina displays—they will only load a smaller version in devices that don’t need that much pixels, for example when the width is too small.

I’ve seen several WordPress builders that disable or don’t use this feature well, making websites slower. This is enough reason for me not to use them and stick to the core Site Editor when possible.

What is the maximum size for which I should upload images to WordPress?

WordPress will scale down images bigger than 2560 pixels and use that version as the largest image available. Uploading them bigger doesn’t make sense since users won’t be able to access them easily. Also, they will add total disk space to your WordPress uploads directory, making it slower to back up and migrate your website.

If you need to display a large image, consider a resolution of 1920 pixels in width; an image of this size will look fine even on most large displays.

Also, processing images after uploading them can take server resources and time, especially if you need to upload many images.

What format should I use to upload images to WordPress?

It’s time to use next-generation image formats like WebP and AVIF, which are way more compressed without losing much quality.

JPGs do not do a good enough job, and PNGs are usually heavy. I suggest using videos instead of GIFs. They are more responsive, especially on larger screens, and you can add audio and gain subscribers on other platforms with them.

AVIF is not ready to use everywhere on your site. For example, if you want to establish the image used when sharing your URL on social networks, Yoast will throw the error: “The format of the uploaded image is not supported. The supported formats are JPG, PNG, WEBP, and GIF.”

Also, I discovered recently that WebP images won’t show in newsletter feeds like Jetpack yet.

Jos Velasco.

Please let me know if you have any questions about images inside WordPress projects.

CC0 licensed photo by sysbird from the WordPress Photo Directory.

I was finishing developing a website for a customer who had their website hosted with a provider that focused on developers to do every simple task, like updating their PHP version or configuring their firewall.

I used a newer PHP version for my development, and the customer had an important event coming soon. We didn’t want to risk the old website going down if the PHP upgrade went wrong, so we decided to publish the website on DreamHost by changing the NS records.

Have you heard what they say about how you can’t trust the DNS records to propagate on time whenever needed? That is what happened to me. The change felt like AGES, so I’ll share some lessons so you don’t suffer like I did.

Understand what services you want to migrate

Review your current website’s configuration to make a migration checklist. Do you want to migrate ALL the services associated with your domain or just your website?

• Is your website using e-mails on the same server, or are they from an external e-mail provider like Google? Will you need to add custom records for this?
• Does your hosting provider have a staging environment to test your website before going live?
• Are you launching a website redesign? Is it a new website?
• Do you have a strict deadline for publishing your site? Is this migration tied to an event or a specific date?

Make sure you add the DNS records you need before migrating the website. 

If you need to change DNS records, having them before the migration occurs is a good idea so you can know their exact syntax and where they should be added. Take, for example, the SPF or DKIM records for e-mail. If you need to add them and can get ahead of time, that is one less thing to worry about.

DNS propagation is a cache problem

The Time to Live (TTL) settings determine how long a local system can hold the information of a DNS record before purging it; if this setting is ignored by one of the several pieces of the DNS chain, the propagation will get stuck. There is no guarantee of accelerating the DNS propagation process.

Make sure you are making the correct changes

Tools like DNS Checker or whatsmydns.net can help you detect the progress of DNS changes geographically. You can also confirm if the changes you made to your NS records are correct with a site like who.is.

Just point the site to the new server IP

Suppose you are primarily interested in your website’s migration. In that case, you can focus on defining or modifying an A record to point your site to the new hostname’s IP, which will usually take less time to propagate than changing the NS records.

There is a minimal TTL time you can define for these types of records; 5 minutes is something reasonable. Just keep in mind that pointing a website to an IP instead of changing the NS records to host a website fully can lead to the site failing to display if, for some reason, the Host changes the IP in which the website is hosted.

Why not both?

If I were you, I would add an A record to point the website to the new server AND change the NS records. This way, if the NS records take time to propagate, the A record will temporarily help.

New domain vs. old domain propagation time

I’ve seen that a new domain propagates faster than an old one because it is slower to override data on ALL the servers than to fetch it for the first time. Remember I told you propagation time is a cache issue? 

If you are hosting a new domain, I recommend that you set their NS records as soon as possible without even visiting the website from your end.

Don’t rush the DNS propagation

There certainly are ways to improve the speed of DNS record propagation, but this technology is as it is for a reason. It is better to have enough time to let the propagation happen. Develop and work on the server you will use as soon as possible using the staging tools you can use. There is always the trick to change the server’s IP locally by editing your Hosts file for testing purposes.

Please don’t hesitate to ask questions about WordPress, DNS, or web hosting.

Jos Velasco.

CC0 licensed photo by Aaron Jorbin from the WordPress Photo Directory.

It is easy to get stuck with a developer or how a website is developed. Too much customization or poor choices can generate unnecessary technical dependency.

Fresh Vanilla WordPress

A new WordPress installation is not only fast but also reliable. Although its functions and looks may be initially limited, the community has thoroughly tested them. With each new release, the platform’s dependence on custom development decreases, providing a stable foundation for a website.

A customer with specific needs

When a website owner who is not too technical asks for help, the kind of help they receive will depend on who they ask. 

Developers have diverse preferences when it comes to WordPress development. Some enjoy coding extensively to have complete control over every aspect, while others prefer the convenience of using plugins, which are pre-coded solutions developed by others. This flexibility caters to a wide range of developer needs.

Custom theme and plugins

A developer who is comfortable with code and has worked on several platforms might want to offer their custom solutions.

This could be the case if this developer does not know WordPress well enough or if the customer chooses a specific theme or plugin to start from, which could imply a new technology for the developer to learn from.

Custom code can be much more performant than using a bunch of plugins or snippets, but it will always have to be maintained by someone. Here is where the software/developer lock-in begins.

If instead of choosing to code everything, the developer chooses a well-known plugin to cover the solution, even better, if this solution extends the WordPress core and has standard ways to export the data rather than creating its structure, more people will be able to continue with the project if there is a need to, for example, end the relationship between the customer and the developer.

An experienced developer will know when to say “No” to a new feature, whether it doesn’t add real value to the project, affects overall performance or accessibility, etc. Usually, if there is no popular solution for a problem, developing it in the first place might not make much sense.

Even if this custom solution by the developer is well documented, the amount of developers willing to work with it is smaller and more expensive.

Web hosting specialized for developers

There are several ways to host a WordPress site.

Some traditional hosting plans simplify the experience and even help the customer by managing WordPress and having a specialized support team ready to offer guidance.

Other options can be more developer-oriented, such as cloud services.

Nowadays, cloud services offer pre-configured hosting plans but can lack a support team. They rely more on technical documentation. Even though they are usually cheaper, they tend to provide less intuitive interfaces to the end user.

A customer usually listens to the developer. If the developer recommends a cloud service in a similar way to provide custom code, it will also create a lock-in effect on the hosting plan. If the customer chooses to migrate, it will usually be more challenging, and they will need more technical help.

Building websites with the WordPress Site Editor following the documentation will help the ecosystem: the plugin and theme creators, the website builders, and, most importantly, the end users.

Please contact me if you need help with your WordPress development, theme, plugins, or web hosting and would like to chat.

Jos Velasco.

CC0 licensed photo by Jennifer Bourn from the WordPress Photo Directory.

Working in a Coffee Shop can be tricky, so I’d like to share my tips for doing it more effectively outside your office.

Find a comfy spot

Let’s face it. You won’t work comfortably on the beach. The sun will block your vision, your drinks will spill, and the sand will make you look ridiculous.

I suggest you work in a coffee shop or a coworking space with air conditioning, real tables, savory food, and fresh coffee.

Do you know what absolute freedom is? You can connect to your personal hotspot so that you won’t have problems with Wi-Fi.

Remember to charge your devices fully so you don’t have to carry or find a spot to charge them. I love carrying only what is needed.

I suggest you transfer big files before arriving at your desired location.

Coffee shops can be noisy. If you need silence to concentrate on your work, headphones can save you, but libraries work better.

White noise can help you flow.

Embrace that you won’t finish your work

More than an hour in a coffee shop is much time, even if I’m in the zone.

I order food from them when I don’t have time to prepare my own at home. I try to order things I can’t usually or easily prepare myself, so it’s worth the money.

Maybe there are many distractions in your home, and coffee shops are your escape.

When I’m out of the office, I like to solve the big picture. I generate ideas, and then when I’m back, I polish them.

I gather inspiration, force myself into a different atmosphere, save my drafts, and return to work hard, refreshed.

Meeting time

Be mindful of the other participants if there is much noise. Activate the option to improve the audio and unmute yourself only when necessary.

Turn off your camera if there are other people around your table.

Remember, real-time meetings can also be organized in a chat. Not everything has to be a video call. Chats use less bandwidth, generate a history, and allow others to join asynchronously.

Unless you are in a place like Japan, keep your things in sight if you go to the restroom.

Drink water!

Jos Velasco

CC0 licensed photo by Marcus Burnette from the WordPress Photo Directory.

It is not as important as it used to be, but here are some valid considerations to choose the right domain.

Generic domains

There was a time when random dictionary words or services would be available.

Even if you manage to buy a short and sweet .com, people usually don’t go to the browser to manually write it in the address bar.

This activity is more for domain brokers or domain aficionados. Even domain resellers will offer you premium domains, but it is more of a business for them than what you will get.

Even now that we have many available domain extensions, it is not guaranteed to “win” one premium domain. Premium domains are usually costly, so owning one is more of a personal choice.

Length of domain

There are services to create short URLs that will even give you stats about the traffic that went through them. So, even if you don’t own a short domain, you can always redirect from one of these services.

QR codes are another visual and easy way to reach a long URL from a physical location by pointing your camera at them.

Social networks like X no longer consider the number of URL characters, making the length of the domain irrelevant.

A regular link will work well unless you constantly communicate your domain by voice.

If you have a long domain, you can compensate the URL by adding a short slug to the page you want to link—for example, myverylongwebsitedomain.com/product.

Just try not to change it

Think of your domain as the house of your business. Years will pass, and people will know where you are, and you will gain authority and reputation as a classic.

If someone tries to find you on their browser and they remember the domain, it will likely appear in their browser history.

If you change your domain to another one, ensure to configure proper redirects to avoid losing traffic and organic juice.

Make enough time for people who used to know your “old house” to know you moved to a different location.

The most important thing when choosing a domain is that you like it and stick with it.

If you need help choosing your domain or want cool ideas, here is a handy Business Name Generator from DreamHost, where I work.

Jos Velasco.

CC0 licensed photo by Nilo Velez from the WordPress Photo Directory.

WordPress is fast and secure by default if well maintained, but delivering the content it generates using a CDN is quicker and more secure.

Faster delivery of content

Depending on your geographical location, the content generated by WordPress would take some extra milliseconds to reach your device.

A CDN will detect where you are and serve you a copy of the website’s files and data from a server closer to you.

CDNs specialized in image or video, like Jetpack, will respond even better than your origin server, balance the distributed load consistently, and even convert the files to modern compressed formats like WebP on the fly.

Some CDNs like this can be activated by installing a WordPress plugin and enabling the feature in the plugin’s options.

More secure websites

Using a CDN through a global network adds an extra layer of security. If you point your website to a DNS provider like Cloudflare, all the traffic will be routed and processed before the origin server. This can help control attacks and improve downtimes.

Also, if your site suddenly receives a lot of traffic, CDNs will help you avoid overflowing your server’s capacity. If your WordPress is not generating a cached version, this copy can help alleviate the database requests.

Be patient if you change configurations to your domain, like DNS records. These can take a lot of time to propagate.

Many basic services with CDN providers are free or cost too little. So it’s always worth trying.

If you need help with CDNs and ways to optimize WordPress, please get in touch with me.

Jos Velasco.

CC0 licensed photo by meagan hanes from the WordPress Photo Directory.

Your website should look different to others to stand out from the crowd, but personalizing it too much can lead to several problems in the future.

Making websites in the past used to be way simpler

A few years ago, there were only so many screen sizes. Mostly desktop.

There were technologies like Flash that allowed people too much freedom to animate and include interactive elements.

Websites started to be heavy and didn’t consider accessibility seriously.

When technologies like Flash got sunsetted due to mobile usage rising, websites had to be recreated from scratch.

Only websites built with HTML and CSS remained for a longer time.

Sure, those websites looked fantastic, but many times, search engines couldn’t even read them correctly, auto-translate them, or serve them in a compressed way.

The intro with loading used to be fancy the first time you visited the website, but the skip button was a savior on subsequent visits.

And those kinds of websites were not always easy for their owners to update. There was too much dependency on web admins.

There are safe ways to personalize a website

Don’t add too much code

Adding code unleashes all the possibilities of a website. The bad thing is that it will make your updates depend on someone who knows how to code.

If, for some reason, the code stops working, you will need to learn how to debug or pay for an expert.

If your website needs a personalized solution to update content, this can be coded so that it’s easy for you to edit. Just take care that this customization will require maintenance.

Use the user interface of your website’s builder

My favorite example is the WordPress Site Editor. While it lets you add custom CSS to customize your content blocks further, this option is purposely hard to find. The real power of the Site Editor relies on understanding the layers of customization.

For example, if you want to customize all the aspects of a block, make your changes in Global Styles so that they will inherit the personalization every time you insert it.

If you want to customize a specific block you inserted but only that block, you can use the sidebar to override the Global Styles. So that you know, these changes must be reverted individually to redesign your website.

This customization is saved in the database. WordPress generates the corresponding CSS optimally, so you don’t have to worry a lot about maintaining code and take advantage of performance upgrades applied to WordPress.

Don’t add too much plugins

Ask yourself if you need a lot of sliders and animations for your website to work well.

One solid hero message can work better than a slider that no one will see if it takes too long to load.

If your website starts to look like a circus, it’s too much.

Could you look at the demo of the theme you will use? Does it make sense like that? Can your images be improved? Is the text you are using too much? Is it elegant?

Actual content is king. How you present it is super important, but you won’t need to make it spin in 3D for most websites.

There will always be more ways to stand out

Change your theme to the latest one

If you use WordPress as your website builder, you will notice the community is committed to delivering features on every release.

Consider activating the latest default theme if you want a fresh look and the latest trends applied to your website. It will include accessibility features, new full-page patterns to apply with one click, new blocks, and so on, for free.

If you are worried about breaking your site, consider a hosting plan with a staging environment to do tests.

Define new fonts and colors

The design layer can change your website drastically. One advantage of not personalizing your website too much is that you can take advantage of the Style combinations proposed by the theme you use with one click as a starting point that works.

For example, the theme Twenty Twenty-Four comes with style variations that combine colors, fonts, and their respective sizes. If you adjust one of them to your branding guidelines, I am sure you will get a decent, fresh look that will work well on different devices.

I hope this helps you personalize your website, but please remember that what you do and how you do it will impact your work in the future.

Please get in touch with me with questions about web hosting, WordPress, and websites.

Jos Velasco.

CC0 licensed photo by developerjustin from the WordPress Photo Directory.

When you start selling online, you usually haven’t defined all the details of your products or services. Start safe and spend your money on WordPress.

Save money by choosing WordPress

When you choose a non-open-source platform, you are usually tied to monthly fees, whether you manage to sell or not. And if you make a sale, you must pay a percentage.

Using WooCommerce with the basic options will allow you to save some money until you know precisely what functionalities you will need to extend your store capabilities.

By choosing WordPress, you will have to pay for a hosting service, but starting with an inexpensive plan is possible since you probably won’t have many visitors at first. Hence, you will not need many server resources.

WooCommerce is heavy and works best with specialized WordPress hosting such as DreamPress. But if you configure caching correctly, you can even start with a basic hosting shared plan.

Start safe by owning your data

Suppose you are unsure about all the details of your products or services, such as the description, the price, the plans you want to offer, the promotions, etc. In that case, you can always start with a limited version of your store while benefiting from the organic positioning.

For example, if you are not ready to sell but want people to know more about your products, you can attach a simple form to each of them to start conversations with your possible customers.

Using a platform like WooCommerce, which runs under WordPress, you own your data and can export it if you want to migrate to another platform later.

If you grow your website to a closed platform, the lock-in effect could significantly affect you when you cannot easily export and import your products.

Grow beyond your imagination

Imagine your website becomes a prominent magazine that drives content organically or has a complex membership setup connected to a CRM. A commercial limited e-commerce solution will probably fall short for you.

WordPress is highly flexible due to its popularity. You won’t have to switch when your project grows and will be able to get design, content, and development experts as needed. Even free help from the community!

WordPress can even connect to external platforms in other programming languages to grow more using several APIs and integrations. Options are limitless.

Jos Velasco.

I can guide you if you have any questions about WordPress and WooCommerce. Leave me a comment, or let’s connect through my social networks.

CC0 licensed photo by Angela Jin from the WordPress Photo Directory.

The idea was to invite people interested in photography, from newbies to pros, to meet casually in a beautiful big park to contribute to the WordPress Photo Directory.

People outside the usual tech circles joined the event—for example, marketing agencies and other communities.

Bogotá is a vast city. By announcing the event within enough days, it’s almost guaranteed that someone will see the notification in their WordPress admin.

Since this kind of event is relatively new, it’s focused on a segment of people, and it’s not mainly about listening to a speaker but collaborating; I noticed the signup rate was slower than, say, an event with a trending topic like AI.

Nevertheless, 27 people signed up, and almost 10 attended, which could seem low, but it was worth it for the mentioned circumstances and goals.

It was also on a weekend. It was good to experiment with different days since some people usually can’t attend on weekdays.

It was a pleasant sunny day, which for Bogotá is extremely rare but helped us immensely.

We started the walk in a very famous sculpture that was easy to recognize. This was crucial since Parque Simón Bolívar’s venue is bigger than Central Park.

We briefly presented each other and decided that it would be best not to split it and walk together, covering the whole area due to the group size.

This event was community-based, so participants were invited to bring or purchase food to share with others. We had a picnic in the middle of the event.

Consider that for some places, you must ask for permission, and for some types of cameras, like drones.

We reached a library with enough fresh shadows at the end of the three hours. I focused on explaining the guidelines for photographers and some of the benefits of collaborating, like exposure.

I asked each person to choose their best photo and submit it to the directory.

Some people didn’t have their WP.org account created. We helped each other with that and pre-reviewed the photos before submitting them to make suggestions.

The directory only had one photo of Colombia and zero from Bogotá. At the event’s end, the team got five photos approved.

I watched this video before the event, which was beneficial in explaining and giving examples of what to do.

If you organize an event like this, encourage people to send multiple photos. If people don’t get into submitting pictures, they probably won’t do it afterward.

In general, the event was a success because people enjoyed walking and casually connecting across the park a lot.

It was a safe space to explore, but it was extremely crowded. Since we were not allowed to show faces, it wasn’t easy to take pictures.

Also, if there are a lot of attendees, I recommend splitting the group into smaller objectives to cover more areas in less time and avoid taking the same pictures.

Only one person got their photo rejected due to the image’s dimensions, which were less than 2000 by 2000 pixels in size.

I had to convert my photos from Heic to JPEG using my laptop. People usually won’t carry their laptops, only their cellphone, which is fine.

Probably, there is an easy way to convert them from the iPhone.

I encouraged people to use the essential editing tools with their phones to enhance things a little, like contrast and brightness.

For the descriptions, we tried to include the word “Bogotá” to ensure we could find them later. I know some photo events have used hashtags.

Searching “bench bogotá” in Openverse directly from the block editor allowed me to insert this image with credits in its caption:

Some people translated their descriptions using Google Translate to speed up the process.

It was remarkable that one of the organizers knew Colombian culture very well, so he helped complement some descriptions with essential details like the name of the famous architect who built the library.

We also asked the contributors to post their approved photos in the Community chat to share the results and encourage others.

One pending task for me is to ask people to submit the rest of the photos they took.

I’m excited for the next one; people mentioned a colorful neighborhood that, unfortunately, is more insecure. We plan to use the budget to hire a tourist company to help us guide the crowd.

Jos Velasco.

Featured photo credit: CC0 licensed photo by Juan Carlos Garcés Castro from the WordPress Photo Directory.

The ability to launch a WordPress website in multiple languages without the hassle of using a plugin or paying extra bucks for SEO features is getting closer.

Similarly to what is happening to website builders, existing multilingual plugins must adapt to Core to survive, extend, and improve it, offering functions not supported by default.

Since these plugins are essential for some websites, the real challenge will be not to retain customers but to gain new ones.

Gutenberg phase 4 seems far to be a reality, but in the meantime, we have good free options to consider.

Easy, free, SEO-friendly, and Gutenberg-compatible ways to achieve a multilingual WordPress without learning complicated configurations and avoiding plugin conflicts are available.

What I’ve found using popular translation plugins is that almost every time, there are still gaps to be filled either with code or manually duplicating content parts, such as template parts for block themes.

So far, the most compatible way to create a multilingual site is to configure a WordPress network. It is not ideal for non-tech users, but once it is running, everything seems to be cleaner.

For each language, you must create a subsite and connect it with a plugin like Multisite Language Switcher:

Multisite Language Switcher

Still, I am waiting for a Core solution that doesn’t require me to set up a network and thus duplicate media files or use weird things like a customizer to translate string by string.

Real-time collaborations will be a massive step toward multilingual sites. Translating each block elegantly, accessiblely, clearly, and quickly would make sense.

These are five considerations that have worked for me to grow the number of people attending the WordPress events I organize.

Give people enough time to sign up

Inside WordPress, a Dashboard widget shows upcoming local events, such as forthcoming WordCamps and meetups. This makes it easier for people to discover what’s happening in their local communities. Read the Meetup Organizer Handbook to learn more.

If you schedule your event with time, more people will find it in wp-admin. Think about how often you add a new post or edit your website. Chances are it is not daily, so giving people enough for your event is crucial.

For me, a month is the perfect amount of time, but it will depend on how engaged your community is and how many possible attendees are in the location.

Make it easy to sign up

Sometimes, platforms can fail. Provide extra ways to contact you for help in case of a problem with the RSVP.

Consider if you need to ask for too many details or personal information, and don’t ask twice if you already have the data from previous events.

Making the signup process as easy as possible can increase signups. Sometimes, people don’t have enough time to do it or don’t trust you enough with the information you need and forget to return.

Select the right topic and agenda

If a topic is too technical, fewer people will attend, at least at the beginning. Be aware of the kind of community you are creating. Is it for non-technical people?

Technical and complex problems can be introduced to first-timers, but how you communicate the meeting’s purpose will highly influence the pool of attendees.

Trendy topics that affect everyone, such as AI, will help you connect, for example, developers with business owners.

Try to find a place for the after-event, like a coffee shop, to gather feedback and reinforce a deeper core community.

Send reminders

Don’t be too spammy, but remind people of the event. You can always share new juicy details or ask for feedback to involve your community more and excite them.

Consider sending reminders across different platforms, like social networks. Last-minute reminders don’t usually work that well, but they can help you with the last push.

People usually react more quickly than via e-mail if you have an active group chat. Not everyone will install the Meetup app.

Consider the things you can’t control

You can’t control everything, but you can do something about it in most cases. Here are some examples:

You can’t control the weather, but communicate you will offer hot chocolate and bread to make up for a cold day. Remember, we are humans.

You can’t control traffic jams, but you can negotiate with the venue for extra space for people who want to come early to have meetings.

You can’t control the exact number of attendees who will come, but you can aim for a higher number to meet your expectations. Negotiate flexible venue prices. Try to stick to the same day of the week so people can integrate your events into their routines.

Final thoughts

Every community is different and has its own needs. A healthy team of organizers with clear goals can help grow your community, and involving people in the organization can make things easier. Try to be constant and offer unique experiences every time; you don’t need a speaker for every event. Inspire you from other meeting groups, organize photo walks, support tables, and show-and-tell sessions. Trust your community more.

Jos Velasco.

I’m a part-time sponsored contributor by DreamHost to work for the WordPress community. I am still trying to figure out where my efforts will be more beneficial, and WordCamp San José helped me a lot with this complex path.

I include some details to help WordCamp and Meetup organizers discuss what is best for their events. I am so excited to be one of the organizers of the WordPress Bogotá Meetup, and this kind of event helps me think of what will come when we start organizing the WordCamp next year.

Rita Robles, the lead organizer of the WordCamp San José, found me through Five for the Future to ask if DreamHost would sponsor the event. That couldn’t happen this time, but while browsing the WordCamp website, I noticed the call for speakers was still open.

Living in Colombia with my wife and having friends in Costa Rica made it easy to give it a shot. Diana applied as a volunteer, I sent my speaking proposal, and we both happily got accepted.

Thank you very much for all the effort, teamwork, and spirit of service from the organizers and volunteers. It felt like they were having fun and commitment!

The arrival

Diana and I got the yellow fever vaccine applied so we could travel to Costa Rica after living in Colombia for more than a few months. We will hopefully use it for more trips.

The rest of the process was easy, as Costa Rica doesn’t require a visa for Mexicans.

It was relatively easy to find Wi-Fi everywhere, so we didn’t buy an Internet package. Asking for our Uber was challenging because the signal didn’t reach outside the Airport.

As in many places worldwide, platforms like Uber have yet to be 100% legalized. Unfortunately, the police stopped our Uber driver and removed his license plates. This process was fast but awkward and sad. He was still able to take us to our Hotel after that.

We opted to stay at the recommended Hotel, the Raddison, a traditional big venue with ample event spaces. The food at the included breakfast was top quality; our only disappointment was that the pool didn’t have hot water, at least the one we tried.

Near this place, a couple of friends took us to the Escalante neighborhood, which is full of incredible restaurants. We chose a fantastic Italian restaurant.

The welcoming dinner with organizers and speakers was conveniently held in our hotel. This was the night I started to meet people I only knew from Twitter or the WordPress community, like Rita or Pablo Moratinos.

The dinner was set by singers who interpreted popular music while dancing. It reminded me of a big Latin wedding with vast portions of food.

Jumping to each table to say hi was easy; I was pleased to see Mariana Morales from México and Frank Calderón from Guatemala.

Diana sat near the same table as Pablo, accompanied by his team and a group of girls who would talk about Figma on the same date and time as me.

So everyone at that table was destined to meet but not see each other’s participation the next day.

The first day of the WordCamp

It was very cool to see all the work made by the organizers from the early start of the event.

All the volunteers had breakfast, and the sponsors set up their booths. The big wall to take pictures with the WordCamp logos was ready for the red carpet.

As one of the WordPress Bogotá Meetup organizers, I can say WordCamps have no comparison in magnitude.

People feel fresh and full of energy; they crowd the registry booth, happily receive their tote bags with swag, and pay close attention to instructions on changing their tickets for food and coffee.

Rita and the other organizers started the WordCamp with some interesting stats. They have been organizing the event for the 6th time and brought the same percentage of women and men as speakers.

A well-known local journalist reminded us about the importance of the human factor in technology and that he was very proud they were using WordPress heavily in the University, which was the event’s venue.

My short experience organizing WordCamps has made me understand how hard it is to start on time and let the event flow. The event started a little bit late.

Every piece of the WordCamp is important, and I didn’t see the opening remarks scheduled for the event on the PDF. It was at the same time as the first talk. On the other hand, thanks to the opening ceremony attendees, this first speaker had people from the start, which compensated for the situation.

As a speaker, I had plenty of time to attend the different talks, hang around with the sponsors, sometimes the people developing the software, and talk with other professionals in the hallways.

The program was divided into four areas: WordPress and development, Marketing, Design and accessibility, and Professional growth.

Each area had three skill levels: Beginner, intermediate, and Advanced, and also a workshop.

At any given time, there were a minimum of four sessions simultaneously and a maximum of nine. On average, I’d say seven.

The attendance at the WordCamp was good! San José is the biggest event I’ve been to so far, but having that many sessions brings down the number of attendees per session.

That is why many moderators were needed to help present the sessions, and volunteers guided the attendees around the several classrooms distributed on different floors.

Outside each classroom, instead of big posters, stickers announced the following talks, which the team eventually removed one by one, which helped to see what was next and served as a souvenir for the speakers.

This helped a lot with flexibility; for example, there were some technical issues with some projectors, and my talk and others had to be moved to another classroom and floor.

I have been thinking a lot about the capacity of each session. It must be tough to assign the biggest auditory to a talk. I attended crowded sessions in small classrooms and empty in the big auditory.

The open and closing remarks make sense to be in the biggest space available and maybe for a panel or a keynote from global leadership. Still, the rest of the talks should be in spaces the same size for every speaker or workshop, especially if many events are happening simultaneously.

The speakers contributed excellent content, and I had time to focus on learning and refreshing concepts. We didn’t have much time to ask questions, but fortunately, all the speakers were available to continue the discussion in other spaces.

The party

At the end of the first day, there was a party in a big bar. Some people couldn’t arrive at their first try because they went to another branch. I was greatly surprised by the “Bocas,” which are small traditional dishes from Costa Rica.

The girls at the welcoming dinner party sang many songs from México and many more places. They were genuinely versatile.

There was a lot of fun, including a 360-degree rolling picture platform. I was a little bit worried the “Guaro” alcohol could make people not come the next day.

The second day of the WordCamp

It was the first time this WordCamp organized a contributor day and the first one I attended. This event took place in the morning.

These tables were available: Polyglots, Photo, Community, WordPress TV, Core, Plugins, and Support.

At the start of the session, each lead explained the team’s purpose and how to contribute. I was assigned to lead the Support table.

Something funny that happened to my table is that it converted into the Technical Support of the other tables instead of promoting the WordPress Support Forums.

There were issues with the shared IP address for new WordPress.org signups that I could report to the #Meta Slack channel, and I received help to unban a user using their LinkedIn account as their URL, something spammers usually do.

Generally, registering to WordPress.org and the official Slack channel is still challenging.

My career has focused on helping one person at a time rather than a group. I think this event happened this way.

There was a lot of activity at the other tables, especially when the Community successfully reactivated some Meetups and announced new WordCamps with lots of joy!

After lunch, my talk started. The good thing about having my talk recorded before the event is that I had it fresh in my mind. I miss that the Q&A sessions won’t be available on WordPress.tv.

I had the great joy of having Diana as my moderator. Also, some attendees needed sign language, so I was fortunate to be translated for the first time in real time.

I felt good about the result and the attendance. There were some questions at the end from a team starting to choose a site builder. Also, someone from the venue University told me they were considering migrating from the native Site Editor to a commercial builder. This shocked me since it usually is the other way around.

In both cases, I was able to offer sound advice. I could promote the Site Editor while explaining why different roles use it or not.

I could record an English version of my talk, Build Your Career with the WordPress Site Editor, in case you want to take a look:

Watch more of the WordCamp San José 2023 videos at WordPress.tv

The rest of the day, I attended the same talks Diana was moderating to accompany her and force me to learn from other perspectives. Fortunately, all the talks were exciting, and even the most complex one was related to my job, hosting.

I could interact profoundly and felt the speaker’s excitement while he presented his findings.

We had a chance to taste delicious coffee, and now we understand why Costa Rica and Colombia constantly compete.

The closing remarks excitedly finalized the event, and everyone started to say goodbye at an amiable and happy time.

Technical details

• The internet Wi-Fi was perfect. It didn’t fail once.
• The speaker badge included a QR code pointing to the entire program, which unfortunately didn’t work because they updated the PDF URL. Linking the QR to each speaker’s URL is a good idea. I wouldn’t say I like PDFs, but having so many events simultaneously was the only way to compare what was happening.
• Some classrooms had too much light, so reading the slides was hard.
• The family photo was taken with a drone.
• The projector didn’t work correctly in some classrooms, but this was quickly solved by changing the people to another classroom.
• I don’t know if this counts as technical, but I’d love to have more proteins on the menu and less bread. Also, more natural water to drink, which was available from the water cooler after getting a cup or bringing your water thermos.

My conclusions

I would come back to San José. Maybe I’d stay for more days to enjoy nature and food more.

I am fortunate to have my expenses partially paid by DreamHost. Costa Rica is an incredible country that promotes education and technology and has an excellent public health system. Also, it is a unique tourist destination that can be very expensive. The best decision was to invest in a tour to learn about endangered species and how the local economy works by exporting coffee, plants, and many more products.

The amount of work and experience by the team made me realize why this is the biggest WordCamp event in LATAM.

Congratulations and ¡Pura Vida!

With so many changes coming so fast with the WordPress editor, it can be expensive to maintain websites.

Nothing too serious may happen for small or informative websites, so it is tempting to freeze new changes.

Disabling automatic updates may give you more control, but at the same time, it puts the project at risk.

I usually disable major WordPress updates and enable only security and minor automatic updates while a project is being developed.

There are plugins like the following to specify a major or minor WordPress version and stick to it. And, of course, roll back if necessary:

WP Downgrade | Specific Core Version

As for parent themes and plugin updates of known plugins, I think the best bet is always to update them automatically, keeping an eye on their changelog.

Compatibility is one of the benefits of keeping your WordPress system, plugins, and themes up to date.

In the WordPress ecosystem, some plugin and theme creators have begun forcing you to update the Core to a minimum specific version before installing or updating them.

This is partly because maintaining WordPress backward compatibility with previous versions can require a lot of technical effort. For example, it requires testing on more different versions of the system where the development will be used.

Restricting to the most recent versions, in addition to taking advantage of the latest Core features, allows for lighter and safer development.

The WordPress Core suggests a minimum PHP version by default, allowing the community to move forward.

As a community, we can contribute to reducing the number of installations around the world with obsolete versions and making it possible to stop supporting them.

My recommendation is not to let too much time pass without updating plugins, themes, and the WordPress Core and replacing the abandoned software.

Jos Velasco.

CC0 licensed photo by Ivan Zhuck from the WordPress Photo Directory.

It is possible to create a network of sites associated with the same WordPress installation natively. Managing this network can quickly become chaotic. I have three tips for you.

Do not install plugins or themes that you are not going to use

Just like in a normal simple WordPress installation, in a WordPress multisite, it makes no sense to have plugins or themes that are inactive or that very few sites are going to use.

It’s tempting to offer a lot of options to your network users, but this can make it very difficult to maintain and support.

I recommend keeping only those plugins and themes that really solve or extend your network’s essential functions. Try not to have “repeated” or very similar plugins or themes.

Adding plugins or themes to a network can open the possibility that other administrators want to use them or consider them as approved resources when this is not always the case.

It is common to install plugins that are supposed to be used somewhere on the network but that are never configured. Make sure they are really being used.

Do not activate plugins globally for the entire network

Although there are plugins to track which plugins or themes the sites on your network are using, these are useless if your plugins are activated for all sites.

Furthermore, having a plugin activated globally does not always ensure that it is working; many times, plugins require specific configurations at the site level.

It is best to review what requirements each site will have to activate its corresponding plugins only when they are needed. If they are not needed after a while, it is better to deactivate them.

Some plugins only work if they are activated for the network. If they perform specific temporary tasks, consider removing them. Having a list of useful plugins in a note will always be safer than having them installed.

There are some exceptions, such as certain caching or antivirus plugins, that may be worth always having activated for all the sites.

Pay special attention to user roles

The ability to manage a single WordPress installation is similar to, but not the same as, managing a WordPress network.

An admin user for a site within a network can activate but not install new plugins. If the user only needs to add content, the editor role may be more convenient than the admin.

Be extremely careful when granting super admin privileges. This role can do everything, including creating new sites and adding plugins. Do you really need someone to have access to adding plugins for your entire network all the time and make them available to every site?

Conclusion

Managing a network of sites with WordPress is relatively easy and convenient. It is more suitable for larger teams and more people than a single site setup.

Considering the needs of each site can allow us to manage only the necessary resources for the projects that the network will host.

Assigning user roles appropriately can greatly facilitate the use of the platform for both administrative and technical staff.

WordPress is at a stage where it is possible to build simple but complete websites by configuring options with clicks.

The content is built using easy-to-configure blocks, which can be combined to create complex designs.

It is optional to start from scratch. Using patterns that combine blocks creatively can help us get off to a fast start.

Something incredible about this way of building is that the options for everything we add to the site are very close at hand in a very visual way, so the learning curve is not so high.

The theme includes these patterns or can be browsed and copied from the WordPress Block Pattern directory.

Building sites using WordPress’s native features allows us to take advantage of the community’s work and learn.

Are web pages programmed?

Websites are generated dynamically with tools like WordPress, and at the end of the process, they mainly output HTML and CSS. There is a debate about whether these are programming languages, related to whether this activity is programming or simply configuring information.

The truth is that there are visual interfaces that do not care if you know how to program or not, and although this skill can be handy for fine-tuning details of your project, in most cases, it is optional to learn how to touch the code.

The role of the webmaster, the absolute owner of the information, at least for simple web pages, is extinct. Fortunately, demand is increasing for those who sell websites, and there are several markets.

Some folks want to learn how to make their sites, and others prefer to leave all control to the specialist.

Is it worth programming a website from scratch?

Everything will depend on the project and its requirements. I leave some questions to answer:

Is your website just a landing page?

You’ll likely use a template if your project is tiny, has few sections, and has a short delivery time.

Templates or predesigns are pre-programmed or layout elements that speed up website development. If you’re not selling specific designs and want something well-built quickly, you can achieve something acceptable by configuring options instead of programming.

Does your website have several sections?

If the size of your website is considerable and you have time, few resources, and you don’t know how to program, it is best to look at the themes or paid templates market and find out if something already covers the project’s needs.

One of the points where technical people get stuck is translating the themes or importing the demo templates they like. Premium templates tend to be saturated with options by trying to cover many niches on the market.

When you pay for a template, you are also paying for the support for this configuration, so you can search the help forums and raise support tickets so that the template authors can give you a hand.

If your website needs a shopping cart, a property search engine, or a contact form to give some examples of specific functions already solved, there is no point in programming them from scratch.

Unless your page is particular, you won’t need to control every line of code for optimization, customization, and security reasons.

Join a community

Very generous communities share their knowledge and code snippets that solve everyday problems. This option can push you to create sites without knowing how to program.

For example, one of the friendliest ones I participate in is the WordPress Guadalajara Facebook group. You can ask specific questions we often answer and find people who can provide you with their programming services for more advanced things.

Another exciting option is to join a community of a specific theme designer. The case of UXDivi seems very good to me because they are constantly releasing content for that development, and they listen to their community to generate tutorials based on their direct requests. If you can wait for your specific needs to be met, you benefit the other participants.

Hire an expert

Depending on the project’s budget, time, and size, doing the technical part of your website may not be very convenient.

Unless you are interested in learning code or making many web pages, I suggest you focus on generating and updating information instead of learning to code.

Sometimes, it can be the cheapest option in financial terms. The expert will take you on the best path and practices, in addition to always staying up to date due to the multiple projects he handles.

To save resources, my final recommendation is to generate all the content the page will contain before requesting a quote or delegating the work. My favorite combo to start working on a page without knowing how to program is using the open-source builder that WordPress already has integrated, Gutenberg, and a theme supported by over a million users such as Twenty Twenty FOUR, which also comes by default with this CMS.

If you have questions or comments, I invite you to leave a comment or find me on social networks.

Image by Kevin Phillips.

José Velasco.