Join us for another packed episode of WP Townhall where we explore the divide between code and no-code approaches in modern web development. Our guest Mike McAlister, creator of Ollie, a block theme for WordPress (https://olliewp.com/), shares his journey from designer to developer and his perspective on where website building is headed.

The conversation heats up as we dive into whether lay people should be building their own websites, the role of craftsmanship in web development, and how WordPress's mission to "democratize publishing" may be at odds with the technical nature of the platform. We explore the challenges agencies face in delivering maintainable, scalable solutions while balancing client demands for simplicity and control.

Our townhall attendee speakers also chime in with valuable perspectives on client education, WordPress admin customization, the importance of maintaining code access, and the ongoing battle between democratization and professional standards.

Want to participate in the next episode? Follow @thekevingeary and @markjszymanski on X and look for WP Townhall Spaces scheduled events. Visit wptownhall.show for upcoming episodes and additional resources.

On this episode of WP Townhall, we chatted with Chris Pearson, a name that might ring some bells – he created the first million-dollar WordPress theme and made waves in 2010 during his GPL licensing dispute with Matt Mullenweg. We dove into Chris's provocative take on why modern websites are broken, exploring how the rise of social media has fundamentally changed user behavior and why he believes this requires a complete rethinking of web design.

Things got particularly interesting when Chris shared his perspective on horizontal layouts, navigation menus, and his theory that websites are no longer destinations but rather "off-ramps" from social media and email. We also explored his new web platform project, which sparked a fascinating discussion about open source, licensing, and the future of web development.

Matt Medeiros joined us near the end to bring up open source philosophy and what it really means in practice. Throughout the episode, Chris challenged conventional wisdom about web design and content management systems, offering a unique perspective that, whether you agree with it or not, provides plenty to think about.

Want to participate in the next episode? Follow @thekevingeary and @markjszymanski on X and look for WP Townhall Spaces scheduled events. Visit wptownhall.show for upcoming episodes and additional resources.

In this episode of WP Townhall, we're discussing Kevin's "3-3-3 plan" for improving WordPress. Our conversation examines three key issues: neglect of core CMS functionality, challenges with the block editor implementation, and insufficient emphasis on design/UX.

We explore potential solutions including native custom post types, improved content management tools, and unified UI/UX standards. The discussion covers WordPress's evolution from a blogging platform to powering business websites, with guest speakers like Patrick Gallagher providing insights on the feasibility of forking WordPress.

We tackle the dynamics between WordPress's open source nature and commercial interests, examining Matt Mullenweg's leadership and its impact on the platform's development. The conversation highlights different perspectives on WordPress's future direction while maintaining focus on practical improvements. We conclude with a discussion of video content hosting and distribution strategies for WordPress sites.

Want to participate in the next episode? Follow @thekevingeary and @markjszymanski on X and look for WP Townhall Spaces scheduled events. Visit wptownhall.show for upcoming episodes and additional resources.