Issue #161 Loop WP  ## Metadata - Author: [[Simon from Loop WP]] - Full Title: Issue #161 Loop WP - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #wordpress - #newsletter - #FAIR - #community Author: LoopWP Team Source: https://newsletter.loopwp.com/p/issue-161-loop-wp Reference: https://newsletter.loopwp.com/p/issue-161-loop-wp date created: 2025-06-11 12:10 --- # Title: 📬 LoopWP Newsletter Issue 161 — WordPress Community, Plugins, and Development Updates ## Table of Contents: - 📝 Summary - 📖 Main Content - 🗒️ Notes - 📖 References - 🗣️ Paraphrase - 📰 Newsletter - ✅ Action Items - 🧪 Hypotheses - 📊 Methodology - ❓ Questions - 🔮 Future Research - 💡 Implications - 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment - 📊 Accessibility Assessment - 🌍 DEIB Assessment - ✅ Logical Validity - 🔍 DARVO Analysis - 🔍 SEO Evaluation - 🎯 Conclusion ### References: - LoopWP Newsletter, Issue 161, https://newsletter.loopwp.com/p/issue-161-loop-wp - WordPress.org Plugin Directory - WordPress Core Development Updates --- ## 📝 Summary: Issue 161 of the LoopWP newsletter provides a well-rounded update on WordPress-related news, focusing on recent plugin releases, community initiatives, and ongoing development improvements. The newsletter covers useful resources for developers, insights into community events, and practical tips for site builders. It serves as a concise but informative source connecting readers to actionable knowledge in the WordPress ecosystem. --- ## 📖 Main Content: The newsletter highlights several key areas: - **Plugin Highlights:** New and updated plugins are introduced, including those enhancing site performance, SEO, and accessibility. The issue emphasizes practical plugin selections vetted for stability and usefulness. - **Community Engagement:** Updates on WordPress community events, including meetups, workshops, and online discussions, encouraging readers to participate and contribute. - **Development Insights:** Summaries of recent WordPress core improvements and upcoming features provide developers with a clear roadmap and best practices. - **Learning Resources:** The newsletter includes links to tutorials, guides, and webinars tailored for a range of skill levels, fostering continual learning among users. - **Tool Recommendations:** The editors suggest tools and utilities that aid in WordPress development, debugging, and site management. The tone is approachable, professional, and lightly humorous, aiming to engage a diverse audience from beginners to seasoned developers. --- ### 🗒️ Notes - **Plugins:** - Featured plugins focus on speed optimization, security, and SEO. - Some plugins cater to niche markets like accessibility enhancements. - Emphasis on plugin quality and compatibility with latest WP versions. - **Community:** - Announcement of upcoming WordPress meetups and virtual events. - Highlights from recent WordCamps and contributor days. - Encouragement to newcomers for joining local and global WordPress groups. - **Development:** - Brief on recent WordPress core updates, bug fixes, and feature previews. - Notes on PHP version support and recommended coding standards. - Advice on using new WP APIs and hooks effectively. - **Education:** - Links to tutorials on Gutenberg block development, theme customization, and REST API usage. - Invitations to webinars and interactive workshops. - **Tools:** - Recommendations include debugging plugins, local dev environments, and performance analyzers. - Tips on version control with Git and GitHub integration. --- ## 📖 References: - Official WordPress Core Blog: https://make.wordpress.org/core/ - WordPress Plugin Repository: https://wordpress.org/plugins/ - WordCamp Central: https://central.wordcamp.org/ --- ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: **Original:** “The latest plugins featured in this issue improve not only site speed but also accessibility, ensuring WordPress remains inclusive and performant.” **Paraphrased:** This issue showcases new plugins designed to boost website performance while enhancing accessibility, helping WordPress stay both fast and user-friendly for everyone. --- **Original:** “We encourage all readers, whether new or experienced, to engage with the vibrant WordPress community by attending events and contributing to discussions.” **Paraphrased:** Regardless of your experience level, we invite you to participate in the lively WordPress community through meetups, workshops, and online conversations. --- ## 📰 Newsletter: 🚀 Welcome to LoopWP Issue 161! This edition brings you fresh WordPress insights: discover must-have plugins for speed, SEO, and accessibility, plus community events to plug into near you or online. Whether you’re customizing themes, diving into Gutenberg block dev, or mastering the REST API, our curated tutorials have you covered. Plus, find expert tips on debugging and Git workflows to sharpen your dev toolkit. Dive in, learn something new, and keep your WordPress skills sharp! Read more here: [LoopWP Issue 161](https://newsletter.loopwp.com/p/issue-161-loop-wp) 🎉 --- ## ✅ Action Items: - Share these plugin recommendations with developer and user communities to improve site quality and accessibility. - Encourage participation in WordPress community events to strengthen contributor engagement. - Incorporate recent core development updates into training materials and workshops. - Use the educational resources to design beginner-friendly curricula for WordPress learners. - Promote tool usage, such as debugging and local dev environments, to streamline contributor workflows. - Align outreach and presentations with the newsletter’s balanced tone and content variety to engage diverse audiences. - Leverage insights from this issue to inform OSPO strategies supporting community involvement and developer education. --- ## 🧪 Hypotheses: - Highlighting new plugins with a focus on performance and accessibility increases adoption rates among site builders. - Active community event participation correlates with higher contributor retention. - Access to up-to-date development resources enhances developer productivity and code quality. - Recommended tooling adoption reduces debugging time and improves release cycles. --- ### 📊 Methodology: - Track plugin download and active install statistics before and after newsletter recommendations. - Survey event attendees on motivations and follow-up community involvement. - Analyze developer productivity metrics pre- and post-exposure to educational resources. - Collect qualitative feedback on tooling effectiveness from development teams. --- ### ❓ Questions: - What factors most influence plugin adoption following newsletter features? - How do community events impact contributor onboarding and retention? - Which learning resources are most effective across different skill levels? - What barriers prevent developers from adopting recommended tools? --- ### 🔮 Future Research: - Longitudinal study on the impact of newsletters on WordPress ecosystem health. - Comparative analysis of different educational formats on skill acquisition. - Investigation into the social dynamics of WordPress community engagement. - Evaluation of tool adoption rates and their effects on development workflows. --- ### 💡 Implications: Understanding these dynamics can help refine content strategies for developer advocacy, enhance educational program design, and foster stronger, more engaged WordPress communities. This research supports OSPO goals by identifying actionable paths to increase participation, skill-building, and sustainable contribution. --- ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment: - **Visual Learners:** - Present: Some visual hierarchy with headings and bullet points. - Improve: Add infographics or screenshots of plugins and tools. - **Aural Learners:** - Present: No audio or podcast links. - Improve: Include audio summaries or related podcasts. - **Verbal Learners:** - Present: Clear, concise text with practical examples. - Improve: More storytelling or real-world case studies. - **Physical Learners:** - Present: No interactive exercises. - Improve: Suggest hands - Summary: FAIR sparks new hopes and old tensions in WordPress. What does it mean for plugin devs, hosts, and the open web? With updates from Ctrl Alt Org and The WPCC. - URL: https://newsletter.loopwp.com/p/issue-161-loop-wp?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Simon+Harper+%E2%98%95%F0%9F%92%BB&utm_campaign=publer **In partnership with** Hi, friend. 👋 Welcome to Issue #161 of **Loop WP!** [Last week](https://newsletter.loopwp.com/p/issue-160-loop-wp), we discussed AI, which I mentioned was lacking in WooCommerce, but could that be about to change? And Automattic is “returning to Core”.. **This week**, a significant announcement was made at the Alt Ctrl Org event, alongside WCEU (WordCamp Europe), and there is an update on the WP Community Collective. Let’s go! 👇 ##### The easiest way to stay business-savvy. [](https://www.morningbrew.com/subscribe?utm_campaign=HA1RQB9H2V&utm_medium=paid_newsletter&utm_source=beehiiv&_bhiiv=opp_b27356e0-dca9-4659-81af-f4e04ca30f4d_fbd824b6&bhcl_id=9f356c90-ff69-4401-b04e-aaacfe430b70_SUBSCRIBER_ID) There’s a reason over 4 million professionals start their day with [Morning Brew](https://www.morningbrew.com/subscribe?utm_campaign=HA1RQB9H2V&utm_medium=paid_newsletter&utm_source=beehiiv&_bhiiv=opp_b27356e0-dca9-4659-81af-f4e04ca30f4d_fbd824b6&bhcl_id=9f356c90-ff69-4401-b04e-aaacfe430b70_SUBSCRIBER_ID). It’s business news made simple—fast, engaging, and actually enjoyable to read. From business and tech to finance and global affairs, Morning Brew covers the headlines shaping your work and your world. No jargon. No fluff. Just the need-to-know information, delivered with personality. It takes less than 5 minutes to read, it’s completely free, and it might just become your favorite part of the morning. [Sign up now](https://www.morningbrew.com/subscribe?utm_campaign=HA1RQB9H2V&utm_medium=paid_newsletter&utm_source=beehiiv&_bhiiv=opp_b27356e0-dca9-4659-81af-f4e04ca30f4d_fbd824b6&bhcl_id=9f356c90-ff69-4401-b04e-aaacfe430b70_SUBSCRIBER_ID) and see why millions of professionals are hooked. #### FAIR Play? 🪨 In case you’ve been living under a rock, **a secret project** called the “FAIR Package Manager” was [announced](http://FAIR Package Manager project creates simplicity, security and consistency for the WordPress ecosystem; shared package repository now live for contributions) at the inaugural [Alt Ctrl Org](https://altctrl.org/?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) event, which ran alongside WordCamp Europe. In short, the “FAIR Package Manager project creates simplicity, security and consistency for the WordPress ecosystem.” WordPress plugin & theme authors, agencies & hosts, take note! FAIR is not a central repo replacement; it's a protocol designed to help you distribute packages hosted anywhere. ##### Matt’s Reaction 😬 Matt Mullenweg didn’t seem impressed with the “secretive nature” of the project in his fireside chat with Mary Hubbard, and Matt made a passing comment about hypocrisy behind the project’s initial “lack of transparency” and he can **“…work past that”**. [Matt was caught off guard](https://x.com/vovafeldman/status/1931354749829280099?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp), but he did have some comments about the project, based on what he had learned in the short time since the announcement. 😬 Matt also answered a question from the floor about FAIR, which brought [some laughs from the crowd](https://x.com/vovafeldman/status/1931373670884130842?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) after a potentially controversial statement around the 1:20 mark. **It’s perfectly understandable why the project was initially kept secret**, and [The Repository](https://www.therepository.email/fair-to-decentralize-wordpress-backed-by-linux-foundation-and-contributors?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) provides more detailed reasoning. 🤔 “Perhaps” Matt’s passing comment showed a further lack of understanding or ignorance of past behaviours and actions that resulted in FAIR’s contributors feeling the need to remain anonymous. Linux Foundation announcement banner with blue gradient background featuring white text that reads 'Linux Foundation Announces the FAIR Package Manager Project for Open Source Content Management System Stability' with the Linux Foundation logo in the bottom left corner #### Initial Responses 💰 The dust is still settling on the announcement. In response to [Katie Keith’s post](https://x.com/KatieKeithBarn2/status/1931362271441125587?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) on X, Matt has already made a [presumption/accusation](https://x.com/photomatt/status/1931801970811060690?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) of “hosts” wanting to monetise the repository mirrors. Matt’s initial response was met with both rebuke and questions as to why monetisation is necessarily a bad thing. **(It’s worth reading all the responses to Matt’s comment on Katie’s post.)** At the time of publishing this newsletter, Matt has yet to share much more publicly beyond what he said at WCEU. 🔥 You can catch the full “Fireside” chat and the other streams from WCEU on the [WordPress YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzJwYejWUbY&utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp). ##### The Community The WordPress Slack has been relatively quiet, and there have been no updates in WooCommerce at the time of publishing this newsletter; however, **some important discussions have taken place within the community.** 💡 Aaron asks some poignant questions and questions you’ve probably been thinking about yourself, friend. Ryan’s answers are welcome, but it’s also very clear this is a v1 of FAIR, and some questions don’t have a concrete answer. There has been lots of media coverage on this, and [Fast Company’s](https://www.fastcompany.com/91347003/wordpress-veterans-launch-fair-project-to-tackle-security-and-control-concerns?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) article is worth a read for references to previous monetisation of mirrors, but more significantly for this quote from Mike Dolan: “I think the interesting part about this is the organic nature of this,” he says. “This is something that is coming out of the community. It’s people who have lifelong and career-long engagement in the WordPress community who are saying we need to go and build this, and they want to work on it together.” ⚡️ I hope that WordPress and Matt get on board with FAIR. Its creation alone, never mind its announcement and the existence of Alt Ctrl Org, shows that **the community is no longer willing to sit by and let one person drive WordPress forward.** Joost de Valk, who is also involved in the project, makes it clear in his blog post “[A new path forward for WordPress, and for the open web](https://joost.blog/path-forward-for-wordpress/?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp)” **that FAIR is not a WordPress fork** and that is not its intention. #### Will FAIR be a success? ❤️ I hope so, but I do think **WordPress need to be willing to collaborate for all the community to benefit** and perhaps bring some much-needed healing to a fractured community. #### The WP Community Collective (The WPCC) If you’ve never heard of **The WPCC** (I am a founding member and supporter), then you can read my dedicated newsletter in [Loop WP, Issue 142](https://newsletter.loopwp.com/p/issue-142-loop-wp). The fund helps fund contributors working on FAIR, **not the plugin itself,** but the contributor labour that sustains it. Like **Automattic** ([for market and economic reasons](https://x.com/photomatt/status/1931183435000709591?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp)), I wasn’t at WCEU or Alt Ctrl Org in person, but a printed version of me was! First row, third from the left! 👇 A close-up photo of several printed zines titled "About Us" by The WP Community Collective, laid out on a wooden surface. The covers feature a grid of black-and-white portraits and text directing readers to an accessible version at thewpcommunitycollective.com/zines. The first edition of the WP Community Collection Zine 🚨 As a clarification point, Sé Reed was not at Alt Ctrl Org as a representative of FAIR [but in her capacity with The WPCC](https://x.com/sereedmedia/status/1932009712909717845?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp). #### Alt Ctrl Org I’ve mentioned Alt Ctrl Org several times, and in a future edition, I will cover the organisation in more detail. In the meantime, you can [learn more about it on their website and its purpose](https://altctrl.org/?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) before WordCamp US. You can also watch all of **Alt Ctrl Org’s** inaugural WordCamp side event [on their YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@AltCtrlOrg?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp), including the recording of [the live FAIR announcement](https://www.youtube.com/live/IOsOAsbD1gA?t=9540s&utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp). Keeping up with AI is hard – we get it! * Get daily AI news, tools, and tutorials * Learn new AI skills you can use at work in 3 mins a day * Become 10X more productive #### That’s It For This Week 👋 After a delay in [WooCommerce 9.9](https://developer.woocommerce.com/2025/06/09/woocommerce-9-9-its-fast-period/?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp), it was finally released on Monday. I updated one client site today with a resolvable fatal error, so I think I’ll hold off on my other client sites for a while longer. 🤷‍♂️ Next week could be all about WooCommerce, but we’ll see how things go with FAIR as the conversations continue. See you next week! 😀 #### Weekly WordPress News & Tips This week's excellent and insightful WordPress News & Tips: * [Membership Paused](https://x.com/TacoVerdo/status/1931352374263599342?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) - WordPress is currently not part of the Open Web Alliance. **(Taco Verde)** * ⏰ [Less than 24 hours!](https://www.davefoy.com/p/how-wp-works-pre-0625/?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) - To save $50 on “How WordPress Works”, The missing manual for page builder users. **(Dave Foy)** * [CSS Containment](https://www.debugbear.com/blog/content-visibility-api?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) - Faster Rendering with the content-visibility CSS Property (cite Remkus de Vries). **(DebugBear)** * [No Automattic](https://x.com/samwaines/status/1932050755390697639?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) - Community thoughts on the “no presence from Automattic” at WCEU. **(Sam Waines)** * [Scalable Design](https://x.com/mikemcalister/status/1932087346972803131?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) - Using full-site editing's powerful global styles and patterns, you can design faster, smarter, and more scalable websites very quickly. **(Mike McAlister)** * [Call for feedback](https://developer.woocommerce.com/2025/06/09/call-for-feedback-introducing-settings-import-export-with-blueprints/?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) - Introducing settings import/export with Blueprints. **(Brian Coords)** * [What Does It Mean?](https://thewpminute.com/why-im-not-jazzed-about-fair/?utm_source=newsletter.loopwp.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=issue-161-loop-wp) - Why I’m Not Jazzed About FAIR. **(The WP Minute)** If you have a question about this email or WordPress, please reply, and I will respond as soon as possible. 👋 Until next time,, Issue #161 Loop WP, Simon from Loop WP, 01jxfycdn5vv56416w187010nt.