Stick around till the end for two adorable blondes at a baseball match.
In this edition’s email:
- We discuss voice search… and the increased necessity of optimizing for it.
- Sometimes a horse is just a horse, without being a Trojan horse hidden in the WP code after all.
- Can residing next to a bitcoin mine actually harm your health? It appears so.
Hot Off The Presses: What’s New?
WordPress Reveals AI Partnership to Surprisingly Tepid Reaction
What’s more troubling?
Announcing you’re selling your customers’ data to some AI gadget and having everybody lose their cool and get furious?
Or…
Announcing you’re selling your customers’ data to some AI gadget and absolutely no one is concerned?
On July 30th, WordPress revealed their partnership with Perplexity, a kind of AI-infused Ask Jeeves reincarnation that still deludes itself wildly and confidently spews out inaccuracies just like any AI, but tries to appear more reliable by citing footnotes and sources.
The lukewarm reaction to the official WordPress announcement is quite peculiar. Only 5 comments in a week? Ouch.
WordPress asserts that this collaboration will benefit WordPress users through a revenue-sharing model. Under the “Publisher’s Program,” Perplexity will issue a check to you for a portion of ad revenue when your content appears in response to user inquiries.
The exact details of the agreement haven’t been disclosed, but Perplexity’s Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko suggests that the revenue share is a “double-digit percentage.”
However, if you’re feeling a bit dubious, we understand. Wired has criticized Perplexity for deceiving, breaching the Robots Exclusion Protocol, and scraping websites without consent.
In conclusion, we’re confused as to why this starry-eyed partnership announcement from Automattic hasn’t been greeted with greater skepticism.
P.S. If you wish to opt out of having your content used for AI training, here’s how. (Not sure it will make a difference, though, after reading that Wired piece…)
Divi Rushes Out Dashboard Just in Time
But wait… Step aside AI, because everything old is new again.
Evolution, rather than revolution, is the new mantra. Thus, we were thrilled to see Divi joining the dashboard club with Divi Dash! Say it again! Now, repeat it 5 times quickly!
To be fair, Divi Dash as a WordPress Site Manager appears quite sleek and user-friendly. From the video overview, it seems to present plenty of fun features alongside many more on the way.
And of course, as may have been implied, it certainly benefits from the approximately 10 years of research and development that has likely been happening since, say, ManageWP did its thing. Or maybe even, ummm, our own efforts.
In any case, your editorial team is eager to dive into the wonders of the new Divi Dash. If you’ve been experimenting with it, we’d love to hear your insights. Elegant Themes and Divi Dash aspirations!
Everyone Briefly Freaked Out When WP 6.6.1 Was Flagged for Trojan Malware
As WordPress 6.6.1 launched last week, several user reports emerged, stating that the new version was triggering trojan alerts.
User @ahnafr11 reported in the WordPress support forums that they received a concerning “Virus Detected” alert when downloading the latest update from the official site, along with a warning that “this program is hazardous and executes commands from an attacker.”
Umm.. yikes!
That’s sufficient to make anyone splutter their coffee, but certain factors led users to question whether this was a genuine warning or merely a false positive.
Primarily, WordPress 6.6.1 had already been out for 4 days without triggering any warnings until Windows Defender received its update.
To summarize, the issue turned out to be a Windows Defender glitch incorrectly identifying an XML namespace as an insecure URL. Oopsie daisy…
For the complete story regarding what transpired, check this Search Engine Journal explanation. Meanwhile, the official word from WordPress admin is simply to ignore the false positive until Microsoft rectifies it.
¯_(ツ)_/¯
We’ve Expanded to 12 New Hosting Locations 
If you missed it, we’ve expanded to 12 new hosting locations globally, giving you more options to find a server closer to your website audience.
Check out the list of new locations here.
If you choose to migrate to a new location, you’ll find a comprehensive guide here.
We did receive feedback in the comments regarding the absence of new Canadian locations, though. We apologize to our Canadian users, and we’ll get that sorted in the next update!
After all, one day Canadians will take over the world, and we’ll all be regretting it.
Mind-Boggling Stats
- WordPress accumulates most downloads on Wednesdays, it seems. Fridays are the least favored day. (Source)
- The average price of a premium pre-made WordPress theme is $59. (Source)
- WordPress users generate approximately 70 million new posts each month. (Source)
- Yesterday alone, there were 119 thousand blog posts created on Gutenberg. (Source)
- WordPress 6.6 has been downloaded 46,900,460 times and continues to grow. (Source)
Deep Dive: Say That To My Interface!
Breaking news: People are chatting with their gadgets.
“Alexa, share something I’m unaware of!”
Right? I mean, the voice search trend has been on the rise for almost a decade now. In 2022, The Smart Audio Report revealed that 62% of Americans 18+ utilized a voice assistant on their devices, and 57% of them conducted voice searches daily.
Yet voice search is surging even more recently due to advancements in voice recognition technology.
The team at Global Market Insights predicts global smart speaker sales will surpass $30 billion this year. And if this Statista forecast reported by SemRush holds true, voice search is definitely worth discussing in 2024:
How To Make Your WordPress Site Voice-Search Friendly
Aim For The Featured Snippet
According to Backlinko, 40.7% of the answers from voice search originate from a featured snippet box. Structure your content with clear headings, concise paragraphs, bullet points, and tables to enhance its snippet-friendliness.
Use Conversational Language
In other terms, write as you talk! Phrase things in a natural manner, just as your website visitors do when entering their searches.
Up Your Local SEO Game
75% of smart speaker users utilized voice search weekly to locate a local business. For brick-and-mortar establishments, this means ensuring your Google My Business, Apple Maps, Bing Places, and any other local listings are updated.
Get Structured Data Set Up
Implement schema.org markup to convey semantic context about your content’s entities, relationships, and behaviors, making your website more comprehensible for search engines. Yoast provides a helpful ultimate guide for deploying this on your WordPress site.
Loading Speed Matters
Voice search results load 52% faster than average search results. Do everything you can to ensure your site loads quickly!
P.S. We have a guide for that!
Blogs & Resources You Shouldn’t Overlook
If, unlike Perplexity, you prefer to accurately cite sources you’ve ethically referenced, here are some WordPress plugins for beautifully organizing your footnotes.
COFFEE IS FOR CLOSERS, ONLY! Just kidding. Enjoy your coffee, but do consider trying this step-by-step sales workflow from Kyle Van Deusen that will help you Always Be Closing when marketing your website services.
Karol Krol reviews the recent “Learning Pathways” upgrade on Learn WordPress. TLDR: It’s significantly easier to navigate, and Karol is quite impressed.
On the Shop Talk Show, Dave Rupert and Chris Coyier provide a comforting and motivating response to the query, “Do you believe “AI-free” blogs will become rare in the future?”
If you discovered WP 6.6 had some bugs but haven’t upgraded to 6.6.1, here’s why you ought to.
“I, for one, welcome our Corporate Overlords…” Just kidding, can you imagine if we were like that? Check out Doc Pop’s insights on the Fediverse and safeguarding content creators from the dominance of big tech.
Coffee Break Distractions
The bizarre tale of how a bitcoin mine led to serious health problems in a small Texas town.
Individuals have been utilizing videos from GitLab’s internal Zoom meetings to appear busy.
This nostalgic search engine curates pages from the classic web era.
“We do not, in fact, control the entire internet.” – A relatable Clients From Hell anecdote.
Meet the 11-year-old girl who taught the world to code back in 1997.
What occurs when a legitimate comedian tests AI-generated jokes on stage?
And of course, as promised, two very cute blondes at a baseball game.
**DEV – Skilled in Code, Creative in Stylesheets**
In the constantly changing realm of web development, the role of a developer (commonly called “DEV”) has grown increasingly diverse. Modern developers are not merely coders; they are creators, architects, and problem-solvers who combine technical skill with artistic expression. One of the most fascinating elements of contemporary web development is the smooth fusion of robust code with visually appealing stylesheets. This article examines the dual nature of a developer’s responsibilities, highlighting how they balance professionalism in coding with creativity in stylesheets.
### The Backbone: Professionalism in Code
At the heart of any thriving web application lies a solid foundation of well-organized code. This is where the developer’s professionalism truly stands out. A professional developer follows best practices, ensuring that their code is not only functional but also maintainable, scalable, and efficient.
#### Key Features of Professional Coding:
1. **Clean Code**: Crafting clear, understandable code is essential. This involves utilizing meaningful variable names, consistent indentation, and clear comments. Clean code simplifies debugging, maintenance, and extension.
2. **Modular Design**: Dividing the application into smaller, reusable modules helps manage complexity. This modular approach promotes code reusability and facilitates testing.
3. **Version Control**: Employing version control systems like Git is crucial for tracking changes, collaborating with team members, and managing project versions.
4. **Testing**: Implementing unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests guarantees that the code is reliable and devoid of bugs. Automated testing frameworks such as Jest, Mocha, and Selenium are frequently used.
5. **Performance Optimization**: Crafting efficient algorithms and maximizing resource utilization is vital for performance. Profiling tools and performance benchmarks assist in pinpointing and fixing bottlenecks.
### The Canvas: Creativity in Stylesheets
While the code constitutes the skeleton of a web application, stylesheets deliver the skin that renders it visually appealing. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and its modern extensions such as SASS and LESS empower developers to express their creativity, turning functional code into an engaging user experience.
#### Key Features of Creative Stylesheets:
1. **Responsive Design**: Ensuring that the application appears and operates well across various devices and screen sizes is a fundamental aspect of modern web design. Media queries, flexible grids, and fluid layouts are essential tools.
2. **Animations and Transitions**: Subtle animations and seamless transitions can enrich the user experience. CSS animations and JavaScript libraries like GSAP (GreenSock Animation Platform) are commonly adopted to introduce dynamism to web pages.
3. **Theming and Customization**: Crafting customizable themes allows users to tailor their experience. CSS variables and preprocessor mixins enable developers to create flexible and easily adjustable styles.
4. **Typography and Color Theory**: Thoughtful application of typography and color can significantly influence the aesthetics and usability of a web application. Grasping font pairing, hierarchy, and color psychology is vital for achieving visually appealing designs.
5. **Grid and Flexbox Layouts**: Contemporary CSS layout methods like CSS Grid and Flexbox offer powerful tools for constructing intricate, responsive layouts with minimal code. These techniques foster greater creativity and precision in design.
### Bridging the Gap: Tools and Frameworks
To effectively reconcile professionalism in code with creativity in stylesheets, developers often depend on a collection of tools and frameworks that streamline the development process.
1. **Front-End Frameworks**: Frameworks such as React, Angular, and Vue.js provide a structured approach to constructing user interfaces, promoting coding best practices while allowing design flexibility.
2. **CSS Frameworks**: Frameworks like Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS, and Bulma deliver pre-designed components and utility classes that expedite development and maintain design consistency.
3. **Design Systems**: Implementing a design system, such as Material Design or Ant Design, helps preserve a cohesive visual language throughout the application, bridging the divide between code and design.
4. **Code Editors and IDEs**: Modern code editors like Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, and JetBrains WebStorm are equipped with extensions and plugins that boost productivity, from syntax highlighting to live previews.
### Conclusion
The role of a developer today is a harmonious blend of technical expertise and creative ingenuity. By mastering the craft of professional coding and the art of creative stylesheets, developers can create web applications that are not only functional and efficient but also visually appealing and user-friendly. As the web continues to progress, the dual nature of a developer’s work will remain foundational to innovative and impactful digital experiences.
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