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For long-form interviews, news, and commentary about the WordPress ecosystem. This is the companion show to The WP Minute, your favorite 5-minutes of WordPress news every week.
It's the WP Minute. Support independent WordPress news like this, join the Slack membership, or purchase a classified listing in the weekly newsletter at the wpminute.com/support. Now a word from our sponsor, it's us. Please, if you want to support the WP Minute, go to the wpminute.com/support. You know how it goes.
Speaker 1:Everything I mentioned here will be linked up in the newsletter and the blog post. Check out the wpminute.com for the links. It's time for that most impactful news. Managed WooCommerce hosting is a growing segment within the WordPress ecosystem, and it has a new entrant. WooCommerce, the automatic owned ecommerce provider recently launched Woo Express.
Speaker 1:This service is hosted by wordpress.com. It aims to be a one stop shop for building and maintaining an online store. Packages start at $40 a month with discounts for paying annually. A selection of pre installed extensions and themes are included. Sarah Gooding of WP Tavern reports that WuXpress starting price is higher than entry level products from GoDaddy and Bluehost.
Speaker 1:However, the most expensive package, $70 a month, comes in below GoDaddy's premium tiers. Beyond its name recognition, WuXpress may enjoy a few advantages over the competitors. As we reported last week, the price of WooCommerce extensions is going up. Bundling popular titles built by WooCommerce is likely to attract value conscious store owners. Meanwhile, its beefed up hosting infrastructure was already in place.
Speaker 1:Wordpress.com has been offering packages that include WooCommerce for some time. That's likely to cut down on growing pains. Lastly, ownership, vast internal knowledge of WooCommerce and WordPress is a win for customers. How will Woo Express fare? How will its competitors respond?
Speaker 1:The WP Minute will keep you posted. Links you shouldn't miss. SEO plugin maker, Yost, announced the departure of former CEO, Marik Vandarath. Under her watch, the company was acquired by New Fold Digital in 2021. Vanderat will now turn her focus to investing in open source, sustainable, and female led companies via Amelia Capital.
Speaker 1:In a re related note, Yost founder, Yost Devalk, announced that he too is stepping away from Newfold to focus on entrepreneurship. Security firm Securri published a detailed report regarding the abuse of an abandoned WordPress plugin. The eval PHP plugin hasn't seen an update in a decade, but it's being leveraged by malicious actors to install malware. The report also questions the wisdom of leaving similar plugins in the official repository long after abandonment. Wordpress.com launched a website building service back in 2021.
Speaker 1:It was a controversial topic at the time with some freelancers wondering if their business would be impacted. The service initially aimed for the mid range market with prices starting at $4,900 Now they appear to be targeting the lower end of the market as well with a $4.99 built by wordpress.com express package. The package promises a five page website built within four business days. Thanks to the WP Minute member Paul Lacey for reporting this development. What's gonna happen with all this AI?
Speaker 1:They're gonna get it done in about five seconds for $5. From the grab bag, now it's time to take a look at some other interesting topics shared by our contributors. CertifyWP has launched the WordPress management and design credentialing exam. The $150 exam aims to certify those knowledgeable in front end WordPress development. The organization also offers an optional course to help learners prepare for the exam.
Speaker 1:There have been long calls for a well organized notification system for WordPress. Project core contributor Joe Bailey Roberts provides an update on such efforts over on the Make WordPress blog. How can WordPress developers leverage AI tools? WP Engine Builders will hold a virtual event on April 28 to discuss the possibilities. Big changes to Twitter's verification system have been in the news.
Speaker 1:Users who haven't purchased the Twitter Blue service are now missing those famous blue check marks next to their name. WordPress cofounder and Tumblr CEO Matt Mullenweg recently explained why he's now a Twitter Blue subscriber. Mark Westgaard, founder of WS Forms Plugin, shared some thoughts about the cost of sponsoring word camps. Westgaard has questioned the affordability for small businesses. Side note, you can sponsor the WP Minute for an entire year for a fraction of what those word camps cost.
Speaker 1:When it comes to SEO, page experience has been mentioned as a factor in recent years. However, Google recently removed it from their ranking system's page. What does a power user think of Gutenberg in its current form? Torque magazine's Nick Scherhoff published a review that points out the good and the bad. We've all seen software and services that use urgency as a marketing tool.
Speaker 1:The UK Competition and Markets Authority has offered advice pointing out what is and isn't permissible. Thanks to all of the members who shared these links today, Michelle Forschette, Paul Lacey, Lawrence Ladermy, and Sam Munoz. Oh, and Andrew Palmer. Thanks to you, dear listener, for tuning in to your favorite five minutes of WordPress news every Wednesday. You can support us in independent content like us by purchasing us a digital coffee at the wpminute.com/support.
Speaker 1:Let's try that URL again. The wpminute.com/support. Buy us a virtual coffee or support us for $79 a year and become a member of our Slack channel and get the inside scoop when it happens. The wpminute.com/support. That's it for episode.
Speaker 1:If you enjoyed it, please share it wherever you do social media. Let the world know that, hey, we're a WordPress news outlet. Jump on that mailing list at the wpminute.com.