Sarah Gooding

  • Extendify Launches New Pattern Library Plugin

    Extendify Launches New Pattern Library Plugin

    Extendify has simplified access to its pattern library with a new plugin that offers patterns and full-page layouts for WordPress sites using Gutenberg-friendly themes. The company has high expectations for the product, publishing it under the name “Extendify” as its flagship free plugin in the official directory. Although a different version of the pattern library…

  • WordPress 5.9 to Introduce New API for Locking Blocks

    WordPress 5.9 to Introduce New API for Locking Blocks

    The advent of block themes delivers more creative power into the hands of users, but there are times when theme authors may want to lock down key elements of a design and its designated content areas. First introduced in Gutenberg 11.6, the upcoming WordPress 5.9 release will include a new API for locking blocks. Template…

  • WordPress Community Team Proposes Stricter COVID-19 Safety Protocols for In-Person Events in 2022

    WordPress Community Team Proposes Stricter COVID-19 Safety Protocols for In-Person Events in 2022

    Mounting concerns about loose safety protocols at upcoming WordPress events, and the prevalence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, have prompted the Community Team to be more explicit in its COVID-19 safety guidelines. The team is proposing additional measures previously not required. Currently, in-person attendees are required to be fully vaccinated, recently tested negative, or…

  • Microsoft Bing Releases New IndexNow Plugin for WordPress

    Microsoft Bing Releases New IndexNow Plugin for WordPress

    In July 2020, Bing released its first official plugin for WordPress that allowed site owners to submit URLS and get their content indexed immediately, instead of waiting for the search engine to crawl the site. The IndexNow API, which debuted in October 2021, is the next evolution of the Bing URL submissions API, created by…

  • WordCamp Birmingham Updates COVID-19 Protocols Amid Omicron Surge, WordCamp Europe Still Planning for In-Person Event

    WordCamp Birmingham Updates COVID-19 Protocols Amid Omicron Surge, WordCamp Europe Still Planning for In-Person Event

    WordCamp organizers are responding to community concerns this week, as the more highly transmissible Omicron variant surges in many locations around the world. With WordCamp Birmingham less than a month away, the event’s COVID precautions came under greater scrutiny this week, as organizers work to adapt to the changing pandemic landscape. Yesterday, the event’s masking…

  • Yoast Moves Outside of Open Source Platforms to Launch SEO App for Shopify

    Yoast Moves Outside of Open Source Platforms to Launch SEO App for Shopify

    After 10 years in the WordPress ecosystem as one of the most popular plugin businesses, Yoast is branching out with a new SEO app for the Shopify market. The app will offer Shopify merchants a set of optimizations for search results and Google Shopping, automatically add structured data, and allows users to optimize for desired…

  • Multiple State of the Word Attendees Test Positive for COVID-19

    Multiple State of the Word Attendees Test Positive for COVID-19

    Matt Mullenweg’s 2021 State of the Word address was held in New York City nine days ago with a live studio audience. On Sunday, December 19, all in-person attendees were notified by email that they were possibly exposed to COVID-19 after one of the attendees tested positive. Although proof of vaccination was required at the…

  • WordPress Contributors Discuss the Possibility of 4 Major Releases in 2022

    WordPress Contributors Discuss the Possibility of 4 Major Releases in 2022

    Last week, WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy opened a discussion on how many releases the project will aim for in 2022. “Given that we have a release in January already, I wonder if we might be able to use 2022 to attempt four releases,” Haden Chomphosy said. She proposed three different release schedules: Quarterly…

  • WordPress 5.9 to Introduce Language Switcher on Login Screen

    WordPress 5.9 to Introduce Language Switcher on Login Screen

    More than half of all WordPress sites (50.5%) are using translations for non-English speaking locales. It’s only natural that these users would want the ability to register, log in, and reset their passwords in their own languages. A new language switcher on the login screen has finally made its way into core, four years after…

  • Free Software Foundation Adds a Code of Ethics for Board Members

    Free Software Foundation Adds a Code of Ethics for Board Members

    The Free Software Foundation (FSF) announced it is implementing a new Board Member Agreement and  Code of Ethics that is meant to guide members in their responsibilities, decision-making, and activities. The documents, which FSF says were “designed to help make FSF governance more transparent, accountable, ethical, and responsible,” were created as part of a six-month long…

  • All In One SEO Plugin Patches Severe Vulnerabilities

    All In One SEO Plugin Patches Severe Vulnerabilities

    The All In One SEO plugin has patched a set of severe vulnerabilities that were discovered by the Jetpack Scan team two weeks ago. Version 4.1.5.3, released December 8, includes fixes for a SQL Injection vulnerability and a Privilege Escalation bug. Marc Montpas, the researcher who discovered the vulnerabilities, explained how they could be exploited:…

  • Creative Commons Search Is Now Openverse

    Creative Commons Search Is Now Openverse

    The Creative Commons search engine has been rebranded to Openverse and now redirects to its new home at wordpress.org/openverse. Users will find the revamped interface maintains the ability to search the same collections, narrowing results by use case, license type, image type, file type, aspect ratio, and more. The Openverse search engine is also now…