Welcome back!
If you couldn’t tell, I’m pretty invested in WordPress for my content management needs.
Nerd Alert…
- The project that started my obsession turned 17 — happy birthday, AnimeChicago.com!
- I officially took the helm for Chicago’s WordPress Meetup last week (dormant since Lockdown). Ask me for details, and WordPress swag!
- I’ve converted over 10 Classic Themes to the block-powered Site Editor. Mostly for fun, but recently for a big client with equally big tech debt.
- And when WP 6.4 dropped last Tuesday, I spent a romantic evening fiddling with all of my personal projects.
Yeah, I drink the Koolaid. WP’s missing some advanced features, but nothing that a couple of trusty plugins and 30 lines of CSS can’t handle.
What’s new in 6.4? why care?
The Editor’s gotten some polish with photo lightboxes, group background images, and enhanced List View to better organize your content. Jamie M’s tour summarizes it well.
For content managers: unless you’re building a directory, we no longer need “custom fields” to achieve marketing-style layouts. Your reusable layouts can be stored straight in the Pattern Manager. Classic themes are dead. Long live the Block Editor!
For mid-code devs like myself: my previous hotfix scripts are no longer necessary!
For those feeling behind: LearnWP and WordPress.tv have caught up on documentation. I’m also considering a WP coaching program in 2024 – ping me if you’re interested.
What’s lacking these days?
- Media-specific controls to make mobile shine. CSS fills that gap, but we devs are still seething over it.
- Native SEO tooling, but I doubt this will ever happen. SlimSEO or RankMath plugins work.
- Any animation whatsoever. I rely on Animations for Blocks for basic entrance motion and Motion.page as a Webflow alternative.
- If AJAX capabilities actually land in 2024, I’ll eat my hat. I use a two-plugin combo to power directories and calendars: Advanced Custom Fields for post metadata and Search & Filter 2.5 for frontend filtering.
- I still loathe build processes (why I use a CMS), so I instantiate custom blocks with Lazy Blocks or ACF (the real MVP).
It sounds like a lot, but the Editor covers 90% of your content scenarios without spending a dime. Most clients I’ve helped offboard their Classic Theme or 3rd-party Page Builder are pleased with cleaner interfaces, faster workflows, and more consistent styling across their site.
Converting your Classic Theme?
Good news! I’m testing a new service to do just that.
It’s best for brochures (max 10 pages) and blogs (max 5 templates). The process is straightforward enough for a 2-week turnaround but complex enough to outsource and have it done right. It’s a $1200 flat rate and includes 30-day post-launch support.
There are only two slots available, so ping me before Dec 1st. I may not offer this in 2024 or might increase the price.
And if anyone in your network struggles with WordPress, wants to trade notes, or needs a solid foot into the greater WP community – let’s chat!
