It’s been yet another busy week at the WPUniversity office. Development on the plugin is coming along nicely, and we’ve got some big announcements to make soon. Our latest WordPress workshop at the Ryerson DMZ was also a great success – thank you to everyone who joined us!
Here’s what we’ve been thinking about these past few days:
1. Zapier Is Awesome – Give It A Try
Zapier is a brilliant tool. You can think of it as an If This Than That alternative for business. It lets you create tasks, called “Zaps”, that sync between different web services – including WordPress.
Pricing is based on the number of tasks that are run each month, and the free trial is very generous. We’ve been getting a lot of use out of it!
Related Links:
2. In Consideration of “Flat Design”
WP Engine’s Torque Magazine, the spiritual successor to WP Daily, has been steadily publishing content since launch.
A recent article caught our attention: It Seems The World Is Flat. It explores the evolution of software design and experimentation.
Our experimentation is how new styles get introduced to the world. Our curiosity as people who either create or simply appreciate the designs around us is what spurs on new trends.
It’s a quick read that gets you thinking. (Some food for thought over the weekend, perhaps?)
Related Links:
- It Seems The World Is Flat (Torque)
- Evolution of Web Design (Infographic) (KISSmetrics)
- Flat Design Is Not a Trend (Medium)
3. Track Your Favourite Plugins on WordPress.org
Did you know that you can track your favourite plugins on WordPress.org? It’s a very convenient way to keep your must-have resources in a single place.
The “Favourites” feature was added in May 2012, but it only works for logged-in users. That said, if you don’t have an account on WP.org, you really should get one.
Related Links:
4. Working From Anywhere & Automattic
Decentralized working habits are a core part of the Automattic culture. Founder Matt Mullenweg talks about it in a recent Business Insider article, and it’s spelled out front and center their website:
Everyone works from their own home or office, and we’re spread out all over the world — California, Texas, New York, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Iceland, Bulgaria, Australia, and more.
The perks are nice, but 100% remote doesn’t work for everyone.
Sharing space is a core part of our culture, and there are advantages to it. We see each other every day, face-to-face. Impromptu meetings are easier. Work and life are separated. It provides some routine and structure.
Related Links:
- Remote Work vs. Collaboration (ReadWrite)
- Location, Location, Location (NY Times)
- Marissa Mayer: Work In An Office or Quit (Business Insider)
5. New Walkthrough: Changing Your Permalink Settings
This week’s new plugin walkthrough is Changing Your Permalink Settings:
Permalinks are the specific URLs that point to posts or pages on your website. They’re what you see in your browser’s address bar. By default, they look like /index.php?p=123 – not very useful for visitors or search engines. In this walkthrough we’ll guide you through changing that to something useful like /post-title/.
Not on the beta? Take a look at what we’re working on.
That’s it for this week. Enjoy the weekend!
