WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:03.596 --> 00:00:04.646 It's the WP minute. 00:00:04.706 --> 00:00:08.756 WordPress news is back and is pesky AI coming for our content? 00:00:08.936 --> 00:00:09.986 Wait, what's that? 00:00:09.986 --> 00:00:12.836 You say wordpress.com is actually selling it. 00:00:13.376 --> 00:00:16.526 Let's dive into that and your links for the week coming up. 00:00:17.251 --> 00:00:20.851 Today's episode is brought to you by us here at the WP minute. 00:00:21.271 --> 00:00:24.571 If you like the work we do consider supporting us with a digital coffee 00:00:24.841 --> 00:00:29.251 for as little as $5 or join the membership, or you can join nearly 00:00:29.251 --> 00:00:33.211 100 other word pressers, like you who love the WordPress news. 00:00:33.751 --> 00:00:37.081 Your donation helps support content like this podcast, our freelancer 00:00:37.081 --> 00:00:38.281 articles written by Eric car. 00:00:38.281 --> 00:00:38.491 Kovak. 00:00:38.971 --> 00:00:41.701 And our boots on the ground at events from Raquel. 00:00:42.181 --> 00:00:46.081 Head to the WP minute.com/support and start your membership 00:00:46.111 --> 00:00:47.641 with a donation today. 00:00:47.791 --> 00:00:51.271 That's the WP minute.com/support. 00:00:52.838 --> 00:00:56.528 Let's cut to the chase because it seems that WordPress news is back this week. 00:00:56.648 --> 00:01:00.578 At least the link squad inside the WP minute slack have been busy curating the 00:01:00.578 --> 00:01:03.098 news as we kick off the month of March. 00:01:03.608 --> 00:01:08.678 4 0 4 media reported on two of Automatic's products, wordpress.com and tumbler.com. 00:01:08.678 --> 00:01:12.458 Apparently signing a deal with AI tools to help train their models. 00:01:12.968 --> 00:01:15.698 Based on public facing content that users publish. 00:01:16.178 --> 00:01:17.528 I ran a poll on Twitter. 00:01:17.528 --> 00:01:21.578 It has about an hour left@thetimeofthiswritingaskingdoeswordpress.com 00:01:21.578 --> 00:01:25.778 sharing or selling user generated content to AI platforms bother you? 00:01:26.498 --> 00:01:29.768 Currently respondents are steady at 59.3%. 00:01:29.768 --> 00:01:33.338 Yes, it does bother me 40.7%. 00:01:33.338 --> 00:01:34.778 No, it doesn't bother me. 00:01:34.778 --> 00:01:35.678 That's based off of. 00:01:36.068 --> 00:01:39.698 135 participants thus far, check the link in the show notes. 00:01:39.698 --> 00:01:41.588 If you want to see the results of that survey. 00:01:42.158 --> 00:01:46.118 It's important to know that if you are a wordpress.com user, as I am with my 00:01:46.118 --> 00:01:48.788 $300 per year podcast setup, newsletter. 00:01:49.208 --> 00:01:53.168 You can opt out with their quote, prevent third-party sharing and 00:01:53.168 --> 00:01:55.208 quote, setting inside settings. 00:01:55.208 --> 00:01:57.188 And then under the general tab. 00:01:57.698 --> 00:02:01.028 From what I can see, this creates a robots dot TXT file that sets 00:02:01.028 --> 00:02:05.588 a disallow for well-known AI platforms like Claude and chat GBT. 00:02:06.008 --> 00:02:07.298 There's some others in there as well. 00:02:07.298 --> 00:02:10.688 What is not clear to me is whether or not this also disables some 00:02:10.718 --> 00:02:13.118 other API or data firehose. 00:02:13.118 --> 00:02:16.058 That is part of a shared data agreement with automatic. 00:02:16.418 --> 00:02:19.718 Is there some other connection behind the scenes where automatic allows partners to 00:02:19.718 --> 00:02:22.028 forklift this data over to their platform. 00:02:22.898 --> 00:02:26.528 I uploaded a 12 minute video to Twitter going deeper on this topic 00:02:26.558 --> 00:02:28.088 and showing you in more detail. 00:02:28.538 --> 00:02:30.758 What the robots dot TXT file looks like. 00:02:30.758 --> 00:02:34.148 You can check out that video if you want more expanded thoughts on this topic. 00:02:34.238 --> 00:02:37.418 However, here are my two takeaways to ponder on number one. 00:02:38.048 --> 00:02:42.938 We've been giving up our data for decades to Google and exchange for the potential. 00:02:43.298 --> 00:02:46.268 I can't stress that enough potential of ranking higher in 00:02:46.268 --> 00:02:48.188 their results and filling in. 00:02:48.458 --> 00:02:52.508 Very lucrative data points for business information, map, data 00:02:52.598 --> 00:02:53.948 and other structured metadata. 00:02:54.408 --> 00:02:58.488 To classify our content for their mission to index the world's information. 00:02:58.908 --> 00:03:02.808 We got nothing in return other than a moving target of an SEO algorithm 00:03:03.108 --> 00:03:06.708 while Google built the world's greatest cash cow in Google ads. 00:03:07.488 --> 00:03:08.028 Number two. 00:03:08.328 --> 00:03:11.328 The thing that really bugs me about the wordpress.com deal is 00:03:11.328 --> 00:03:14.688 that it's yet another example of creators getting squeezed. 00:03:15.078 --> 00:03:16.248 This is our content. 00:03:16.248 --> 00:03:19.998 And while these AI platforms have most likely crawled all of it by now, 00:03:20.298 --> 00:03:22.278 automatic gets to profit off of it. 00:03:22.308 --> 00:03:23.388 But not us. 00:03:23.508 --> 00:03:27.888 Could I export my content from wordpress.com and dump the zip into 00:03:27.888 --> 00:03:30.528 chat GPT and out spits a $20 bill. 00:03:31.518 --> 00:03:35.598 It's just more of the same really it's what I expect of any corporation. 00:03:35.628 --> 00:03:40.308 The only thing automatic has to release now is a PR note stating that they were 00:03:40.308 --> 00:03:44.298 breached in 20 million user records were stolen, but not their billing information. 00:03:44.508 --> 00:03:45.078 Of course. 00:03:46.008 --> 00:03:49.158 If you want to go deeper into critical thinking about this topic, read 00:03:49.188 --> 00:03:52.818 the 10 questions for Matt Mullenweg regarding data ownership and AI by 00:03:52.818 --> 00:03:56.718 some other guy who thinks out loud on the internet too, or hit reply. 00:03:56.958 --> 00:03:59.628 And let me know how you feel about this whole thing. 00:04:01.398 --> 00:04:02.628 Important links this week. 00:04:02.658 --> 00:04:04.758 Now it's time for those important links this weekend. 00:04:04.788 --> 00:04:05.328 Here's a lot. 00:04:05.328 --> 00:04:09.318 Let's go ahead and dive right in my dear friend, Corey Miller has stepped back 00:04:09.318 --> 00:04:13.278 from his day-to-day role at post status to pilot the ship as owner and advisor 00:04:13.608 --> 00:04:17.178 community star, Michelle for shed has stepped in as the executive director and 00:04:17.178 --> 00:04:19.008 will lead post status from here forward. 00:04:19.608 --> 00:04:23.118 Hosting her a sponsor of WP minute found themselves in a bit of hot 00:04:23.118 --> 00:04:27.018 water as users discovered affiliate plugins activated in M U status. 00:04:27.468 --> 00:04:30.588 M U stands for must use and cannot be disabled via the dashboard. 00:04:31.128 --> 00:04:35.508 The hosting your team responded and has removed the plugin from hosting accounts. 00:04:37.188 --> 00:04:39.798 Matt Mullenweg can't seem to rest on his sabbatical. 00:04:39.798 --> 00:04:43.338 As Steph Lunberg writes, Matt Mullenweg teaches a masterclass on 00:04:43.338 --> 00:04:45.618 why we have trust and safety teams. 00:04:46.578 --> 00:04:51.678 FSC outreach program is now simply called outreach and sees WP minute member 00:04:51.678 --> 00:04:53.538 beer, get poly hack, taking the reins. 00:04:53.628 --> 00:04:54.378 Congrats beer. 00:04:54.378 --> 00:04:54.588 Get. 00:04:55.698 --> 00:04:58.818 In more unsurprising news from big Corp's Chris Correa. 00:04:58.968 --> 00:05:02.568 Penn's a new reflection on the digital ocean acquisition of his blog. 00:05:02.598 --> 00:05:03.528 CSS tricks. 00:05:04.008 --> 00:05:08.288 Lawrence Lauder me wP minute member wrote about Omni sends also 00:05:08.288 --> 00:05:12.278 a WP minute sponsor omnipresence across the WP media landscape. 00:05:12.308 --> 00:05:15.098 This should be required reading for any WordPress company thinking 00:05:15.098 --> 00:05:16.748 about marketing and promotion. 00:05:17.418 --> 00:05:18.318 It seems Daniel Bach. 00:05:18.318 --> 00:05:21.108 Huber WP minute member is running wordpress.com while 00:05:21.108 --> 00:05:22.458 Matt Mullenweg is away. 00:05:22.758 --> 00:05:27.288 Katie Keith from barn to sold seven plugins to former SkyBridge founders. 00:05:27.678 --> 00:05:28.638 At Kestrel. 00:05:29.658 --> 00:05:30.828 And a new video of the week. 00:05:30.828 --> 00:05:34.068 Here's what WooCommerce looks like on 2024 theme. 00:05:34.098 --> 00:05:35.688 The results may shock you. 00:05:36.228 --> 00:05:37.098 Surprisingly good. 00:05:37.098 --> 00:05:39.318 Actually, I'll cut to the chase on that one as well. 00:05:39.558 --> 00:05:42.318 Check out the video link in the show notes. 00:05:45.888 --> 00:05:47.338 That's it for today's episode. 00:05:47.388 --> 00:05:50.188 Get the weekly newsletter at the WP minute. 00:05:50.188 --> 00:05:52.028 com slash subscribe. 00:05:52.138 --> 00:05:55.638 Want to support the show and join a Slack group filled with WordPress 00:05:55.668 --> 00:05:59.338 professionals like you talk about the news, share your WordPress business 00:05:59.358 --> 00:06:01.628 content and network with others. 00:06:01.898 --> 00:06:03.048 Head to the WP minute. 00:06:03.308 --> 00:06:08.968 com slash support and get access to our group, support the show for 5 or more. 00:06:09.108 --> 00:06:13.248 If you feel we provided more value, thanks to our pillar sponsors, pressable. 00:06:13.428 --> 00:06:15.247 Bluehost and OmniSend. 00:06:15.328 --> 00:06:19.678 Thanks to our Foundation Plus sponsors, WP World, Image SEO, and Hostinger. 00:06:20.238 --> 00:06:23.728 Thanks to all of our annual supporting members and you, the listener. 00:06:23.848 --> 00:06:26.718 Without your support, the WP Minute wouldn't be possible. 00:06:27.028 --> 00:06:27.728 Thanks for listening. 00:06:28.308 --> 00:06:29.298 We'll see you next week.