fidzu : wordpress

Hi there,

Did you start well into the new year? The first month is almost over. Working from home, I am really looking forward to seeing my WordPress friends at WordCamp Asia in Manila. The team facilitates meeting contributors in one-on-one sessions and to ask questions: It's called the Human Library and contributors are call Books. My shift is from 10:30 to noon on Contributor Day. You can also meet Ryan Welcher, Nick Diego, Milana Cap, Hari Shanker to mention just a few.

If FOMO (fear of missing out) is real for you, rest assured you can always ping me for a chat, email pauli@gutenbergtimes.com, or message me on Slack or Bluesky. I would be delighted!

In this week's edition, you'll find quite a few tutorials, plugins, and podcast episodes and nowadays also AI. I hope you'll enjoy ready and listening to it all as I did.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Yours, 💕
Birgit

As mentioned last week, DoTheWoo and Gutenberg Times were founded around the same time. Bob Dunn aka BobWP and I chatted about our starts in our 7th anniversary episode: The Evolution of WordPress Content: Insights on Gutenberg, Podcasting, and Community Growth. Bob is the astounding supporter of the WordPress community and raises diverse voices with his network of 12 podcast and hosts. You will always find something or someone interesting to listen to or about.

Developing Gutenberg and WordPress

Aaron Jorbin announced WordPress 6.7.2 Release Planning with RC 1 on February 4 and final release on February 11, 2025.

Plugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners

Jacopo "Copons" Tomasone wanted you to know about an Update to WordPress.com's Interface: "The updated interface is the latest release in a larger project to bring the experience on WordPress.com much closer to a "core" WordPress experience." Tomasone wrote and continued "This is just the beginning of a gradual process that will continue over the next few months as we continue to create a more unified and familiar experience across our products."

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Brian Coords published a new episode of the Webmasters podcast. He chatted with Ian Svoboda of Generate Blocks, how the plugin adds modern design tools to Gutenberg. They also discussed all about building on top of the block editor and crafting tools that supercharge your site-building workflow.

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In Improving Fediverse Engagement With the Reactions Block, Matt Wiebe introduced Likes, Reposts, and the Fediverse Reactions block, and expanding the ActivityPub plugin. With the Reactions Block, likes and reposts from Mastodon and other Fediverse platforms are automatically added to the end of your posts (if you're using the Site Editor).

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Jeremy Holcombe discussed WordPress dark mode: key benefits and how to set it up on the Kinsta blog. You'll discover the advantages of dark mode, such as better accessibility, a healthier visitor experience, lower energy use, and meeting user preferences. He also shows you different ways to add dark mode to WordPress with plugins or custom code.

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Ali Aghdam from Istanbul, Turkey, and his team soft-launched Blockera - a plugin to add supposedly missing features to the Block editor for designers. The current version feels like a beta of the Pro-version. You'll find a lot of "coming soon" or "upgrade now" prompts around the interface. It gives you a good indication where the various features will be placed.

I test the additional text features, and they seem to be solid, adding enhanced text shadow and orientation capabilities. An already active community and the process of building public, allows for a fairly fast update cycle. It'll be interesting to see how this compares to other tools, once the free and pro versions are more progressed. With 195 blocks, it's definitely not for the faint of heart. You can join the waitlists for the pro version as well as for the Blockera One block theme on blockera.ai. The plugin is available in the WordPress repository.

WooCommerce 9.6 was released and Stephanie Pi highlight in the release announcement WooCommerce 9.6: Fresh new tools and modernizing classics, she highlights:

• Brands has landed
• Smarter defaults for measuring unit
• Product Summary block, enhanced
• More new features and updates

Theme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks

In episode #153, Nathan Wrigley chatted with Tammie Lister on Modern Theme Development and Artistic Exploration. "The fact that Tammie is both a designer and a technical expert has allowed her to offer a well-rounded perspective on the evolution and future of WordPress themes. We explore the shift from classic themes to the new era of Full Site Editing and theme.json, and discuss whether the slower-than-anticipated adoption of these new tools signifies a deeper trend, or just a transitional phase." wrote Wrigley in the summary.

"Keeping up with Gutenberg - Index 2024"
A chronological list of the WordPress Make Blog posts from various teams involved in Gutenberg development: Design, Theme Review Team, Core Editor, Core JS, Core CSS, Test, and Meta team from Jan. 2024 on. Updated by yours truly. The previous years are also available: 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

Kyra Pieterse of Maxiblocks shared six important reasons for switching to WordPress FSE. Working in the Site editor "simplifies customization, reduces the need for coding, and improves site performance by optimizing speed and functionality. With features like global styling, reusable templates, and responsive design tools, FSE provides a streamlined way to create professional WordPress websites that meet the needs of both website designers and businesses." she wrote. She dives deeper into each of the arguments in her article.

Building Blocks and Tools for the Block editor.

Ever since Studio was released, I wondered if I can make it the only local development app. Ever since my agency days, I have been using LocalWP. The latest Studio update: Build Locally, Deploy Globally: Meet Studio Sync for WordPress.com had me wondered if all I need now is Studio. I have probably about two dozen sites in my LocalWP instance for various testing and building scenarios, so I was curious how fast can I migrate a site to Studio? Turns out it only takes a couple of minutes per site to export from Local and import into Studio. You can see a short video and some details on my blog post. How do I migrate my LocalWP sites to Studio by WordPress.com?

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In his post on the WordPress developer blog, One hook to rule them all: The many faces of block categories, Troy Chaplin takes a deep dive into the ins and outs of Block categories for the Inserter of the Editor. "The hook is a versatile tool that allows developers to customize the way block categories are organized. Throughout this article, you will learn how to use this hook and build functions to add, reorder and rename single or multiple block categories." Chaplin wrote.

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Carlo Daniele set out to teach developers how to build a Gutenberg plugin to add functionality to the block editor. You'll lean how to create a plugin without creating a custom block, add a sidebar to manage post metadata, and use block pattern overrides to automate your workflow.

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In his latest video, Nick Diego, developer relations advocate for WordPress, set out to show you how you can revolutionize your WordPress development with Cursor AI. He demonstrated how to set up Cursor for seamless WordPress plugin creation by configuring it specifically for WordPress coding standards, and creating structure instructions. As an example, Diego built - AI assisted - a Copy Code block plugin.

Need a plugin .zip from Gutenberg's master branch?
Gutenberg Times provides daily build for testing and review.

Now also available via WordPress Playground. There is no need for a test site locally or on a server. Have you been using it? Email me with your experience

Questions? Suggestions? Ideas?
Don't hesitate to send them via email or
send me a message on WordPress Slack or Twitter @bph.

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For questions to be answered on the Gutenberg Changelog,
send them to changelog@gutenbergtimes.com

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Don't want to miss the next Weekend Edition?

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24 Jan 2025 11:14pm GMT

In episode, Bob and Birgit discuss their journeys in the WordPress community, focusing on the evolution of Gutenberg, podcasting challenges, and the importance of diverse voices, while planning for future events.

23 Jan 2025 3:44pm GMT

Ever wondered why some WordPress comments display professional profile pictures while others show generic gray icons? The secret lies in Gravatar - a powerful yet surprisingly simple tool that's transforming how people connect across the web.

What is Gravatar, Anyway?

Gravatar, short for Globally Recognized Avatar, has evolved far beyond its origins as a simple avatar service. Today, it's a comprehensive profile service that connects your email address to your digital identity, making it available wherever you interact online.

Think of it as your digital business card that automatically follows you around the web. When you comment on a blog, join a new platform, or contribute to a project, Gravatar ensures your professional image is consistently represented. Major platforms like WordPress.org, Slack, GitHub, Mailchimp, and even OpenAI rely on Gravatar to enhance their user experience.

Why Gravatar Makes a Difference

Gravatar eliminates common frustrations in online interaction. Instead of repeatedly uploading profile pictures and filling out information across different sites, users enjoy:

• Automatic profile synchronization across WordPress sites
• Consistent digital representation in comment sections
• Professional presence across multiple platforms
• Complete control over their shared information through granular privacy settings
• The ability to maintain separate professional and personal identities through different email addresses

For Site Owners and Developers

Implementing Gravatar brings substantial benefits to your WordPress site:

• Streamlined user registration processes with auto-filled profile information
• Reduced server load since Gravatar hosts all profile images
• Enhanced compliance with data protection regulations
• Access to powerful developer tools through the REST API and SDK
• Built-in verification features to combat spam accounts
• The ability to create personalized user experiences based on imported profile data

The real power shows up in community building. When users see their familiar profile picture and information automatically appear, they're more likely to engage. This familiarity builds trust and encourages more interaction.

And for sites targeting specific industries or niches, Gravatar helps create professional communities where members can easily recognize each other across different WordPress platforms.

How to use Gravatar with WordPress.com

Getting started with Gravatar on WordPress.com is straightforward since every WordPress.com account automatically includes Gravatar integration. Here's everything you need to know about using it effectively.

Your WordPress.com account creates a Gravatar profile automatically when you sign up. To manage your avatar:

1. Sign in to your WordPress.com dashboard
2. Navigate to My Profile.
3. Upload or modify your picture.

However, the settings you can adjust here are very limited and for a full list of things you can add, you need to edit your Gravatar profile directly.

Advanced Features

Beyond basic avatars, WordPress.com includes several Gravatar-powered features to enhance your site.

Gravatar Widget

The Gravatar Widget adds a quick About Me section to your blog's sidebar or footer. Add it by:

1. Going to Appearance > Customize > Widgets.

2. Selecting Gravatar Widget.
3. Customizing the size, alignment, and text.
4. Adding social media links if desired.

For more detailed profiles, the Gravatar Profile Widget displays your complete bio, gravatar link, contact information, links, and recent activities.

Need to add a Gravatar somewhere specific? Use the shortcode:

[gravatar email="user@example.com" size="96"]

This works in posts, pages, and text widgets - perfect for team member profiles or guest author introductions.

Hovercards

And do you want to show more information when someone hovers over a profile picture, you can enable Gravatar Hovercards to display mini-biographies, social media links, recent posts, and custom information.

How to use Gravatar with WordPress.org

Setting up Gravatar on a self-hosted WordPress site takes just a few extra steps but offers all the same benefits. Here's how to get everything configured properly.

Basic Setup:

1. Log into your WordPress dashboard and go to Settings > Discussion.

2. Scroll to Avatars and check Show Avatars.

3. Choose your preferred rating level (G, PG, R, X)

4. Select a default avatar style.

5. Save changes

After this setup, Gravatar automatically displays user avatars in comments, author bios, and other profile areas across your site.

Gravatar Enhanced Plugin

The Gravatar Enhanced plugin is 100% free and takes functionality even further.

• The Privacy Shield feature helps ensure Gravatar doesn't log the avatars that you serve on your site, perfect for community sites where privacy matters.

• The Profile Block makes it simple to add beautiful author bios to posts - just insert the block, and it automatically pulls the author's Gravatar profile data.

• Email notifications gently remind users to set up their Gravatar profiles, helping create a more engaging community.

• Site owners particularly appreciate the Quick Editor, which lets them update avatars directly from the WordPress dashboard.

Gravatar API

The Gravatar REST API is how WordPress.org users import their profile data, allowing website owners to build more intuitive and user-friendly sign-up processes, customize customer onboarding, and create a sense of community on the site.

And for custom solutions, the Gravatar API opens up exciting possibilities. Pull in comprehensive user data to create dynamic author pages that showcase a writer's latest posts, social media activity, and professional background. Build team pages that automatically update when members change their profiles. Or create custom comment systems that show different profile information based on user roles.

Building a Stronger Community

The true power of Gravatar lies in its ability to transform anonymous usernames into recognizable community members. Consider these strategies:

• Add welcoming setup instructions near comment sections
• Include Gravatar guidance in welcome emails
• Create helpful documentation for new users
• Encourage profile completion through gentle reminders

Privacy and Control

Gravatar stands out for its commitment to user privacy:

• Users maintain complete control over shared information
• Multiple identity management through different email addresses
• Granular privacy settings for different contexts
• Easy profile updates that propagate across all connected platforms

Taking Action

Ready to enhance your WordPress site with Gravatar? Start with these steps:

1. Review your current avatar settings
2. Update your own Gravatar profile
3. Consider adding enhanced features through plugins
4. Create clear documentation for your users
5. Monitor community engagement improvements

Remember, building an engaged community requires more than just tools - but having the right tools makes it easier. Gravatar removes common friction points in user interactions, allowing your community to focus on what truly matters: creating meaningful connections and conversations.

Want to learn more about implementing Gravatar in your WordPress site? Check out our comprehensive Gravatar Enhanced plugin documentation. Let's go!

22 Jan 2025 6:30pm GMT