Thanks for the report.

Sarah, what would really help WordPress marketing would be to improve the product for integrators and agencies so we would want to put and keep our clients on WordPress. Breaking WordPress updates (4.8 text widget), security issues (4.7.x REST API rolled out globally when REST API should be something a publisher turns on when s/he needs it) discourages publishers and us.

Plugin developers also don’t like the JetPack borg taking over the entire plugin space (“resistance is futile”), albeit each of us complain in turn as our little fiefdoms are added instead of as a group.

There are other longtime issue such as no caching in core (implementing working caching is unnecessarily complex), crippled native comments, no viable security which affect new/casual users. These issues force users to choose expensive “managed WordPress” hosting or hire extra tech help for no good reason.

While WordPress at its core remains a potentially compelling product, bit by bit WordPress/Automattic are effectively alienating:

* agencies
* mid-size publishers
* plugin developers
* new users

No wonder they are asking themselves hard questions about marketing. I’ve noticed that when a project or a politician is not taking care of its core constituencies, s/he tries to paper it over with marketing/propaganda. When a project does take care of its users, that project benefits from enormous word-of-mouth and enthusiasm. Historically WordPress has basked in unforced passion to become the dominant CMS. WordPress users and developers don’t need more market share. We need a better product with lower built-in maintenance costs.

Take care of your existing users and they will take care of you. If the above is too harsh an assessment for WP Tavern, feel free to cut out whatever part you feel goes over the invisible line. It’s written with great sincerity and with the experience of building WordPress and managing a 100% WordPress agency for over ten years.