A Witty Joke for Your Pleasure

Keep reading until the end to discover what transpires when a cat finally catches that elusive laser pointer beam…

In this edition:

Press Paws: WPMU DEV has now established the largest support community for three-legged pets and their owners.
Would you pledge to a domain name that is sure to outlast you?
WordPress 6.8 will at last implement bcrypt for password hashing, resolving a 13-year-old ticket.

Fresh News: What’s Happening?

Social media post humorously comparing bad computer posture to Quasimodo.

To all of you who are hunched over your laptops like medieval bellringers, we tip our hats to you. The tech realm may promise us progress, yet our posture remains firmly entrenched in the 1400s.

Take a moment to stretch out that spine, and let’s explore the latest in WordPress.

WPMU DEV Hosts The Largest Three-Legged Pet Community Globally

Realizing that your cherished four-legged buddy is about to be a cherished three-legged companion can be truly heart-wrenching, but Jim Nelson created a site to help pet owners of amputee cats and dogs feel a bit less isolated.

The Tripawds multisite network features over 2,100 blogs dedicated to three-legged dogs and cats, along with numerous resources for those dealing with limb cancer diagnoses or amputations in their pets.

They opted to try our hosting services because their former provider simply wasn’t meeting their needs, and they have recently migrated ALL their sites to the WPMU DEV hosting platform. Now everything operates as smoothly as this majestic Irish Wolfhound, and we are ecstatic to support this wonderful community!

To find out more (and meet Tripawd’s Chief Fun Officer Jerry G. Dawg) check out the blog post.

Happy WP Publisher Success Week to All!

WP Publisher Success Week has returned for its second year and is underway right now! The complimentary virtual event will continue until Friday the 28th and is diving into the issues that keep us all awake at night — WordPress migrations, security, and AI.

Hosted by State of Digital Publishing and sponsored by Multidots, expect in-depth discussions on how to migrate without fraying your nerves, insights on enterprise-level security, plus sessions addressing AI’s expanding influence in publishing. Notable publishers who attended last year included the BBC, The Hindu, and Harvard University.

Here’s what you can still catch in the latter part of the week:

Wed Feb 26: Streamlined site migrations. Whether you’re switching from another CMS or merely changing servers, this is your opportunity to learn from panelists who’ve experienced the challenges, survived, and are eager to share. The Webinar on Website Migration Essentials will feature Kyle Sutton (The Points Guy), Shelby Blackley (The Athletic and WTF is SEO?), and Bryan David (The Associated Press).
Thurs Feb 27: Scaling securely. Dan Knauss from Multidots leads a workshop focused on best practices for securing WordPress, particularly when dealing with large enterprise-scale sites.
Fri Feb 28: AI: The good, the bad, and the “wait, did a bot write this?” Publishers are still navigating AI’s role in their workflow, and this event will offer case studies and ethical practices that come directly from the field. On Day Five, the panel Unlocking AI Potential for Media Publishers: Real-World Strategies and Insights will feature Pete Pachal (The Media Copilot) and Matt Karolian (The Boston Globe).

To gather more information and secure your spot for the remaining talks, visit State of Digital Publishing.

Want to Lock In a URL for Your Great-Grandchildren? WordPress.com Now Provides 100-Year Domains

It’s difficult to fathom what the internet, or society itself, will resemble in a century. However, if you’re so dedicated to your website domain that you wish to bequeath it to your great-grandchildren, WordPress.com has broadened their 100-Year Hosting offering to introduce a domain-only plan.

The 100-Year Plan was first introduced in 2023, and for a single payment of $38k, it included managed WordPress hosting, multiple backups, submission to the Internet Archive, 24/7 dedicated support, and a domain name for a century.

Now, there’s a new choice to acquire the domain separately from hosting for a one-time fee of $2,000. Typically, domain names can only be registered for ten years at a time due to ICANN regulations, but this option automates renewals, ensuring you won’t inadvertently lose your domain due to missed renewal dates.

Both the $38k hosting plan and $2k domain plan signify a substantial wager on how the future of the web will evolve. Who can predict whether URLs will still serve as the identifiers for web addresses decades from now? Will websites even continue to exist a century hence? Will humanity be battling one another with sticks in a post-apocalyptic scene? Who knows!

Regardless, it’s an extraordinary proposition, taking into account that everyone involved in the original deal will most likely not be alive in 100 years, unless the WordPress.com team has discovered some form of secret immortality elixir.

Oh, speaking of which, my great-grandfather’s 100-year telegram support package is about to expire… I should tend to that.

WordPress is Finally Enhancing Password Security (13 Years On)

Great news for anyone who’s ever faced a WordPress site hacking because their password was something like “password123” (we’re judging you, just a bit).

WordPress 6.8 is enhancing security by transitioning to bcrypt for password hashing—essentially the mechanism that scrambles your password to prevent hackers from easily lifting it.

And get this: this upgrade finally closes a Trac ticket that’s been open for 13 years. Indeed, more than a decade of countless security discussions and significant effort from WordPress Core Security Team member John Blackbourn, a core committer sponsored by Human Made, has led to this achievement.

If you don’t spend your leisure time pondering cryptographic algorithms (weird choice, but alright), here’s why this is significant:

Bcrypt is superior. The previous system (MD5-based hashing) has been in existence since the early 90s, during a time when people believed dial-up internet was the pinnacle. Hackers have had years to crack it. Bcrypt, however, provides much greater resistance against brute-force assaults.
It deters hackers. Bcrypt operates on the principle of being computationally demanding, meaning it requires more time to process potential password combinations. Should someone attempt to brute-force their way into your WordPress admin, they’re going to have a rough time.
Future-proofing. The updated system allows for straightforward security upgrades in the future, ensuring we won’t remain reliant on antiquated encryption methods indefinitely. Unsure about 100 years from now? Who knows!

This is a significant enhancement for WordPress security, and frankly, it’s about time. The best part? No action is required from you. WordPress will automatically upgrade your password hashing the next time you log in. No need to manually change your password unless you’re still using “password123.” If that’s the case… just fix that already. Please.

A massive thank you to everyone who brought this to fruition. Now, if only we could persuade everyone to activate two-factor authentication…

Mind-Blowing Facts & Statistics

Lawrence Ladomery from WPBiz Dev noted that local speaker representation at WordCamp Asia 2025 has dropped 2% since the previous year. Only 38% of speakers hail from the region, despite endeavors to draw in more locals, with a target of 60% local representation. (Source)
Regarding WordCamp Asia 2025, the “Human Library” was a notable highlight. 16 expert “books” were made available, and a total of 64 sessions were “borrowed.” Meet the “books” here! (Source)
Patchstack revealed a critical privilege escalation vulnerability in the KLEO theme’s companion plugin, which boasts 23,000 sales on Themeforest. If you’re among those 23k, update to version 5.4.0 quickly! (Source)

Blogs & Resources Worth Your Time

Is depending on AI eroding your critical thinking abilities? This Microsoft study claims so. (We challenge you to NOT ask AI to summarize this for you.)

In the realm of AI, Weglot, Rank Math, and WP Rocket are conducting a survey examining AI’s effects on SEO practices. Contribute your thoughts here. Participants will receive early access to the results.

Kyle Van Deusen from the Admin Bar offers excellent advice on how to qualify leads — because who has time for tire-kickers?

On the Post Status Happiness Hour, Michelle Frecette & Jono Alderson engage in a discussion about the environmental implications of storing large or redundant images on your site — and what actions you can take.

Bob Dunn has unveiled a new Do The Woo, featuring a YouTube channel, a homepage redesign, and Cami MacNamara as a new host.

There are numerous International Women’s Day events approaching in the WordPress community. These include Tech For Her Delhi in India, WordPress HERoes at WordCamp Mukono, Uganda, and EmpowerWP in Bhopal, India. We love to see this!