Bankruptcy on Block Editor Blocks  ## Metadata - Author: [[Tom]] - Full Title: Bankruptcy on Block Editor Blocks - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #wordpress - #blockeditor - #blogging Author: Tom Source: Article Reference: https://tommcfarlin.com/bankruptcy-on-block-editor-blocks/ date created: 2025-08-21 00:00 --- # Title: Bankruptcy on Block Editor Blocks (But It’s Not What You Think) ## Table of Contents: - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#️-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 DARVO Analysis Prompt](#-darvo-analysis-prompt) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### References: Include a list of sources consulted and cited in the article. - Tom’s prior series: “Learning to Build Block Editor Blocks” (internal reference) - Mentioned themes: PHP-focused R&D, AI integration, REST API projects, “deep life movement” (conceptual, no external links in the article) ## 📝 Summary: Tom announces he’s declaring “bankruptcy” on his previously planned series about building WordPress Block Editor blocks and, more broadly, on a rigid blogging strategy. He explains that professional and personal changes have shifted his focus: deeper PHP work, R&D, growing interest in AI, renewed work with the REST API, productivity tooling, and the “deep life movement.” Rather than forcing continuity with an aging plan, he intends to write about what’s currently meaningful and useful, trusting subscribers, searchers, and even AI tools to surface his content. Key line: “So rather than trying to stay rooted in something that’s starting to show it’s age, why not simply write about the things I want….” Direct anchors to relevant points: - Beginning: admission of stalled series and “bankruptcy” declaration (0%) - Rationale: professional/personal changes and false starts (33%) - New directions: AI, REST API, productivity apps, deep life; future writing scope (67%) ## 📖 Main Content: Tom began a series in August 2022 on building custom blocks for the WordPress Block Editor, planning features like headings, paragraphs, user inputs, potential SlotFill usage, and frontend inputs (0%). Despite intent to resume in the new year, he acknowledges that he didn’t follow through—an unusual departure from his long-standing consistency in blogging. He frames this as a deliberate reset (“bankruptcy”), not a retreat from writing. Over the past year, life and work evolved: a move, increased family time, deeper PHP work with R&D components, exploration of AI, interest in the “deep life movement,” renewed focus on the WordPress REST API for inter-instance and mobile integrations, and discovering productivity applications (33–67%). Consequently, he’s realigning his writing to reflect these evolving interests and practical work. Instead of clinging to an aging structure or daily cadence, he will: - Continue writing on topics that align with his current work and curiosity. - Start new threads (AI, REST integrations, tools). - Drop topics that aren’t relevant to his work or interest. He trusts audience behavior and modern discovery to guide reach: subscribers will stay, searchers will find, and AI tools will index and surface insights (67%). ### 🗒️ Notes - Context and prior intent (0%) - Began “Learning to Build Block Editor Blocks” in Aug 2022. - Planned to implement a custom block with: - heading, paragraph, and input field. - Customization logic: apply settings to user-provided content, ignore for developer-provided content. - Future enhancements: frontend input and SlotFill. - Intended to resume early in the new year; did not follow through. - Declaration of “bankruptcy” (0–33%) - Admits to not finishing the series and irregular blogging. - Frames decision as an intentional reset rather than abandonment. - Reasons for change (33%) - Life changes: moved; kids’ extracurriculars; prioritizing family time. - Work focus: deeper in PHP with R&D. - Exploring AI integration weekly. - Interest in the “deep life movement.” - New/renewed technical directions (67%) - Returning to REST API for cross-instance and mobile integrations. - Sharing about applications that improve productivity (dev and non-dev). - Editorial strategy going forward (67%) - Continue some existing content tracks. - Start new areas aligned with current work and interests. - Avoid topics that are misaligned or obsolete. - No strict return to daily blogging. - Embrace evolving web/WordPress landscape and discovery mechanisms (subscribers, search, AI). ## 📖 References: - Article: “Bankruptcy on Block Editor Blocks (But It’s Not What You Think)” — https://tommcfarlin.com/bankruptcy-on-block-editor-blocks/ ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1) Original idea (0%): Tom planned to build a custom block with a heading, paragraph, and input, demonstrating how to apply customization settings to user input while ignoring them for developer-defined output, then expand with a frontend input and SlotFill—but he didn’t resume as intended. Paraphrase: I had outlined a block example featuring a heading, paragraph, and a guiding input, showing how theme options influence what users type while leaving developer-supplied elements unaffected. I also planned to add a frontend input and experiment with SlotFill. Despite intending to pick it back up after the new year, it didn’t happen. 2) Strategy shift (67%): Rather than clinging to an aging plan, he will write about what he finds relevant now, trusting subscribers, search, and AI tools to route readers to his work. Paraphrase: Instead of holding onto an outdated approach, I’m going to publish on the topics that matter to me right now and let the ecosystem do its work—subscribers will keep up, search will surface it, and modern AI tools will index and expose the content anyway. ## 📰 Newsletter: This week in WordPress: from blocks to bold pivots. Tom hit the reset button on a long-paused series about Block Editor blocks and shared a candid look at re-focusing on what’s actually useful today: deep PHP work with a sprinkle of R&D, practical AI explorations, REST API integrations across multiple WordPress instances (and even mobile), plus the tools that keep our days sane and productive. If you’ve ever felt stuck in “finish the series” mode while your interests evolve, this will resonate. Highlights: - Learning web dev: Expect pragmatic PHP patterns, REST tips, and AI-assisted workflows. - Recent updates: A shift away from rigid schedules toward value-first posts. - Community: Share your favorite productivity tools and REST use cases—reply to this email and we’ll feature the best. - New plugins: If you’ve shipped something that simplifies REST or block workflows, send us a link for next issue. Read the announcement: Bankruptcy on Block Editor Blocks (But It’s Not What You Think) Link: https://tommcfarlin.com/bankruptcy-on-block-editor-blocks/ ## ✅ Action Items: Prompt for aligning articles with your Developer Advocate/OSPO trajectory: “Analyze the provided article through the lens of open-source advocacy within the WordPress ecosystem. Summarize: - Contributor engagement: Identify opportunities to onboard new contributors (e.g., REST projects, AI experimentation, documentation needs). Propose mentorship or pairing strategies and inclusive pathways for beginners. - Education: Extract teachable modules (PHP R&D patterns, REST API interop, AI prompts/workflows, productivity tooling). Outline learning outcomes, prerequisites, exercises, and assessment rubrics mapped to WordPress contributor roles. - Sustainability and funding: Note where long-term maintenance, governance, and funding (e.g., Five for the Future, sponsorships, grants) intersect with the article’s themes. - Transparency and inclusivity: Evaluate how decisions are communicated and how c - Summary: I’m declaring not only bankruptcy on building block editor blocks, but on my entire blogging strategy, too. - URL: https://tommcfarlin.com/bankruptcy-on-block-editor-blocks/ In August 2022, I started a series on *[Learning to Build Block Editor Blocks](https://tommcfarlin.com/tag/learning-to-build-block-editor-blocks/)* and I continued it for several months. The last thing I wrote in the series was the following: > So as I continue with the series, we’re first going to look at what’s required to implement a custom block that includes: > > * a heading, > * a paragraph, > * and an input field to help guide the ultimate output. > > We’ll continue to use the customization options we’ve outlined in this post and show how we can apply them to what the user provides and how to ignore them for what we, as the developer, provide. > > After that, we’ll look at adding an input to the frontend of the site as well as incorporating a SlotFill. > > And though I had intentions to follow through starting at the beginning of the new year, I obviously never followed through with the series. In all of the years that I’ve been writing, sharing code, and generally participating in all things PHP, WordPress, and development, I don’t think I’ve ever simply declared bankruptcy on an actual series or even just on the consistency of blogging in general. But that’s what I’m doing in this post. #### Bankruptcy on Block Editor Blocks Over the past year or so, a lot has changed both professionally and personally. Generally speaking, it’s all for the better. For those who have read this blog in its entirety or even within the past few years, you’ve seen the consistency drop and for every time I try to start to get back in the groove, I end up with something like a false start. It’s not that I don’t want to write nor is it that I don’t have things about which I’d like to write. It’s that times change, the work I do has somewhat changed, the things in which I’m interested and would like to cover has changed (or maybe expanded? I’m not sure what the best word is to use). Regardless, I can give some thing that resembles the things of some of the things that have happened: * We’ve moved. * The kids are getting older and more involved in their extracurriculars and my wife and I are obviously wanting to continue to spend time with them both there and outside of school and activities. * [The work I’m doing in my day-to-day](https://awesomemotive.com) has me working deeply in PHP, which is great, and having to incorporate some really cool research and development into some of our tools, * I’m starting to research and [integrate AI](https://chat.openai.com) a little more each week, * I’ve begun a series interest in *[the deep life movement](https://www.thedeeplife.com/)*, * I’m returning to the [REST API](https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/) to build a variety of things that allow various WordPress instances to communicate with other instances as well as mobile applications, too, * I’m also discovering applications that are making my day-to-day easier and more productive some of which are development related, some of which are not. And since I enjoy reading what others share, I thought it’d make sense to do the same here. And with that: * there’s an entire set of content I’d like to continue writing about, * there’s content I’d love to start writing about, * and there’s content I really don’t have an interest in writing about (either because it’s not applicable to what I do or because or what other people are doing). I don’t know if I’ll ever get back to the daily blogging habit that I once had – I can’t say that I’m necessarily aspiring to that, anyway – but I know that as the web continues to change especially as it relates to technology, programming, and obviously WordPress, there’s no shortage of subject matter. So rather than trying to stay rooted in something that’s starting to show it’s age, why not simply write about the things I want and let the subscribers continue to follow, those who search continue to find, and those who ask questions into all of the new AI tools we have access the content into which it’s being fed anyway 🙂., Bankruptcy on Block Editor Blocks, Tom, 01gywgdw18p33k7y9mwcngvtyp.