News & Articles

• Amazon Wants Alexa To Read Blog Posts (www.cnet.com)
  The newest Skill Blueprints, announced in a blog post Wednesday, are "built specifically for content creators, bloggers, and organizations so they can reach anyone with an Alexa-enabled device." Skills created with any of Amazon's blueprints can now be submitted to Amazon for certification and publication in the Alexa app's Skills Store in the US.
• WordPress 5.1 Release Candidate (wordpress.org)
  The first release candidate for WordPress 5.1 is now available! This is an important milestone, as the release date for WordPress 5.1 draws near.
• The Google E-A-T Algorithm Update (And What It Means for Your Website) (torquemag.io)
  While the E-A-T update didn’t make as big a splash as others in the past (think Mobilegeddon) it does come with important implications that you should know about. For that reason, in the following, you will learn what the Google E-A-T algorithm update is, its effects on search and what you can do to make sure your WordPress site continues to perform well.
• Reflecting on My Failure to Build a Billion-Dollar Company (medium.com)
  
• YoastCon Overshadowed by Twitter Storm: Joost de Valk, SEO Industry Leaders Called Out for Objectifying Women (wptavern.com)
  
• Lessons on Launching (Three of Them, for Now) (tommcfarlin.com)
  
• Speaker Applications Now Open for 2nd Annual JavaScript for WordPress Conference, July 11-13, 2019 (wptavern.com)
  
• Google Cloud, the Fast Lane for Kubernetes Infrastructure Development (www.presslabs.com)
  

Sponsored by

Security Newsletter - Your Weekly Security Updates

A weekly e-mail that condenses last week’s security news into 10 or so items worth knowing about. It is designed to keep you up-to-date with minimal effort, and also has an RSS feed.

Plugin News

• Gutenberg 5.0 Adds New RSS Block, Amazon Kindle Embed Block, and FocalPointPicker Component (wptavern.com)
  Version 5.0 of the Gutenberg plugin was released with a new RSS block. Riad Benguella, the project’s technical lead for phase 2, published a demo of the block and its settings. Users can set the number of items displayed and also toggle on/off the author, date, and excerpt.
• Groundhogg Review: Marketing Automation For WordPress Users (wpmayor.com)
  Groundhogg is a freemium marketing automation plugin that might be your new best friend. It lets you set up automation funnels and manage contacts without leaving your dashboard. Keep reading our Groundhogg review to learn more.
• WS Form PRO Review: Agile & Powerful WordPress Form Builder Plugin (wplift.com)
  
• Amazing WordPress Plugins Using Artificial Intelligence (torquemag.io)
  
• Ultimate Blocks Plugin Adds Schema-Enabled Review Block (wptavern.com)
  

Theme Releases

Felt (wordpress.org)

Curver (wordpress.org)

Blogasm (wordpress.org)

Theme News

• The Secret History of Kubrick, the Blog Theme That Changed the Internet (www.huffingtonpost.com)
  Kubrick, the template that launched millions of beautiful blogs and helped transform the Internet, is expected to be retired mid-year as the default theme for the popular WordPress blogging platform. The half-life of any innovation in the virtual world, no matter how important, is short — though in Kubrick’s case, it’s been a happy life.
• David Braun and TemplateMonster – From a Web Design Studio to One of The Top WordPress Themes Marketplaces (freemius.com)
  
• Do We Need Advanced Starter Themes? (justintadlock.com)
  

Tutorials

• How to Use WordPress Contextual Help to Improve UX (5 Steps) (wpbuffs.com)
  Jargon as seemingly clear as “Posts” vs. “Pages” can trip up WordPress users if they’re new to the platform or coming to it without a shred of tech savviness. Never mind what happens when you add a premium theme or an array of plugins that increase the complexity of the platform and interface. This is where WordPress contextual help can come in handy.
• How to Create a Multi Language WordPress Site (blog.weglot.com)
  With a WordPress multi language website, you can translate your web pages into multiple languages with ease — and that’s where this guide comes in. Learn everything you need to know about WordPress language translation and start tapping into overseas markets.
• A Guide to Hiring Your First WordPress Developer (www.mailpoet.com)
  
• Statamic | Self-Hosted WordPress Alternatives Part 4 (deliciousbrains.com)
  
• WooCommerce Shortcodes – Add Buying Signals Anywhere On Your Site (www.commercegurus.com)
  
• Extending WP_Query with Custom Queries and Tables (www.ibenic.com)
  

Podcasts and Videos

• The Relationship Between Corporate Cash and Open Source Software | WP Weekly (wptavern.com)
  
• Building Multidots, with Anil Gupta | Post Status (poststatus.com)
  
• 10-Minute Redesign | Learn UI Design (youtu.be)
  
• Val Vesa | Hallway Chats (hallwaychats.com)
  
• How Much Does a Quality SEO Consultant Cost? | SEObits.fm (www.seobits.fm)
  
• The Most Effective Things You Can Do For Growing a WordPress Product Business | WP The Podcast (wpthepodcast.com)
  
• Birgit Pauli-Haack on Serving Nonprofit & Community | Matt Report (mattreport.com)