Introducing the Debut of DEV: Your Fresh Development Platform

Greetings to our latest roundup blog entry / email, which we’re calling DEV. We’ll be sharing updates via email and right here on the blog every fortnight, and we trust you’ll enjoy it! 🙂 Sign up here to receive the email.

Stick around until the end for a delightful tune from WP 6.6’s namesake, the Sentimental Gentleman of Swing.

In this edition:

Keep an eye on your kids and partner… or Awesome Motive may come looking to acquire them.
We explore Dark Mode. Is it genuinely beneficial for your vision?
A showcase of the most horrendous web designs we’ve ever encountered.
And more!

Hot Off the Presses: What’s Hot?

The Latest #WPDrama Buzz: BuddyBoss Snapped Up by Awesome Motive

No one is shocked by this news: Awesome Motive has acquired yet ANOTHER WordPress business.

The folks behind some of the most widely-used plugins in the WordPress sphere, such as WPForms and OptinMonster, secured BuddyBoss on July 9th, 2024.

BuddyBoss isn’t a plugin meant for forming awkward relationships with your bosses; instead, it’s a platform to build online communities, membership sites, courses, and forums using WordPress.

Is there NOTHING they won’t collect? Is WordPress just going to morph into Awesome Motive and Automattic? (And most crucial: Where’s our deal, Syed?)

Oooo… WP 6.6 Set to Unveil More Potentially Destructive AI Features… perhaps?

When WordPress 6.6 drops on July 16, 2024, it will launch “overrides” for synced patterns, enabling content retrieval from multiple sources.

EMPHASIS: sources!
DOUBLE EMPHASIS: sources!!!!

Does this imply that WP will magically be able to import your freshly generated GPT content? Are we facing an autoblogmageddon? Could this signify WordPress forging its own downfall?

Or is it somewhat just a techy feature that performs what, um, shortcodes have been executing for the past twenty years?

One Gravatar To Dominate Them All…

Gravatar, which has been subtly powering billions of avatars across the web (including within Slack, OpenAI, Atlassian, and others), has recently been upgraded with a new API that enables individuals to incorporate more profile information.

Is this part of an underground plot to slowly seize control of the web, one meticulously curated profile at a time?

Watch out Gravatar: Awesome Motive may just come and nab you as well!

Mind-Boggling Insights

90% of vulnerabilities on the WordPress platform stem from outdated plugins, and 6% from outdated themes. (When did you last update your plugins, huh?) (Source)
Referrals continue to be the most favored method for agencies to generate leads, with 71% of participants naming it as their primary lead source. (Source) (Additionally, here’s a comprehensive guide on referral programs for web agencies.)
The headless CMS software market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 22.1% from 2022 to 2032, aiming for an estimated market size of US$5,528 million by 2032. (Source)
According to Builtwith, the most utilized WordPress theme is Hello Elementor, with 12,920 sites. That’s 1.29% of the top 1 million sites! (Source)
Approximately 59,208 free WordPress plugins are currently available in the directory. (Which one will Awesome Motive acquire next?) (Source)
About 7.7% of WordPress sites are still operating on WordPress 4.9 or earlier. Umm… shouldn’t someone inform them that updates are available? (Source)

Deep Dive: Ow My Eyes! Shedding Light on Dark Mode

We spend approximately 6 hours and 40 minutes daily glued to our screens. It’s no surprise so many of us wish to switch to dark mode to relieve our strained eyes.

WordPress block themes are joining the dark mode craze, enabling you to switch between dark and light modes with ease.

But is dark mode ALWAYS the superior choice? Or is it merely a trend for cool vampires who adore blackout curtains and looking down on boring light-mode users?

Dark Mode: Why bother?

Reduces eye strain as they lie in bed for 4 hours persuading themselves, “Alright, just one more reddit AITA thread and then I’ll sleep…”
Allegedly saves battery life. (Although this is up for debate.)
Can lower the likelihood of triggering migraines, which are indeed quite unpleasant.

However, for those with astigmatism, dark mode might cause light characters against the dark background to create glowing “halos”—which can be fairly annoying.

What are the drawbacks?

Downsides of dark mode include:

Graphics and backgrounds appearing as a chaotic mess.
Thin fonts seemingly “swallowed” by the dark backdrop.
Overly saturated colors resulting in a neon catastrophe.
QR codes that are nearly impossible to scan. (We’re looking at you, trendy cocktail bar websites.)

You can’t merely slap a dark mode filter and call it a day. Good design is still paramount.

The ideal approach? Ensure your designs are visually pleasing in both light and dark modes, and then let users choose.

Blogs & Resources You Shouldn’t Overlook

Ding Ding! Our AI Search Assistant takes on ChatGPT to find out who’s the heavyweight champion in client conversion. | “Frugal clients DETEST him!” Boost your recurring revenue with this one odd trick. | Is there a solution for the death-by-a-thousand-subscriptions dilemma WordPress has become? | If accessibility considerations on your site have been non-existent (oops), a) you’re not alone but also b) this expert advice on inclusivity will assist. | This guide from Yoast helps you set boundaries to curb your AI from too much hallucination. | Want to contribute to WP 6.7? Here’s the official invitation for contributors.