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Last week, the WordPress.com team joined nearly 2,000 WordPress creators and users at WordCamp US in National Harbor, Maryland. If you’ve never been, a WordCamp is an informal, volunteer-organized event where everyone who knows, loves, and builds with WordPress is welcome. 

The talks ranged from how whitehouse.gov was relaunched in six weeks (supported by our VIP division) to the work/life tightrope of a woman working in technology leadership. There was plenty of space for hallway conversations and the memorable closing social was held at the beautiful Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Overall, it was an action-packed couple of days!

At WordPress.com, we were especially excited about Matt Mullenweg’s announcement of the 100-Year Plan. One of Matt’s inspirations is the Long Now Foundation, which is designing a clock to keep accurate time for the next 10,000 years. Thinking about a similarly aspirational goal is a worthy exercise. What does it mean to provide web services for 100 years? How do you register a domain for 100 years? Will people buy it at the beginning of their lives or at the end? 

As WordPress hits 20 years, we’re thinking deeply about how it can continue to be a thriving software and community for the decades to come.

Our colleagues from Woo, Jetpack, and the WordPress Project also participated in WordCamp US.

At the Woo booth, attendees experienced what it’s like to be a merchant with the Woo Mobile app. They used magic credit cards to “pay” for swag from the Woo Store. 

Meanwhile, at Jetpack’s booth, attendees explored the Jetpack Pro Dashboard as well as Jetpack AI, and left with a custom-engraved battery pack. 

The WordPress Project helped produce the very first WordCamp art gallery: Open Source, Open Canvas.

When it comes to the talks, one of the clear favorites was sci-fi author Ken Liu’s “Tell the Story You Want To Tell”:

You can view all of the talks over on the WordPress YouTube channel, or via WordCamp.tv (where they’ll be uploaded shortly). 

Keep an eye out for WordCamp US 2024 dates and location — we’d love to see you!  

Today we’re excited to announce a free resource that’s going to take your website to new heights. Get ready to delight your audience, share exclusive content, and build a loyal community that keeps coming back for more.

Introducing our newest course: Membership Sites 101.

Ever imagined having a slice of your website dedicated exclusively to your most loyal supporters? With a membership site, that dream is just a click away. Whether you’re an artist, educator, blogger, or entrepreneur, our latest course unveils the secrets of crafting a thriving membership site.

What you’ll learn

In this engaging course, you’ll dive into:

• Setting up the Paid Content Block: Learn how to blend free content with paid content and entice new members with exclusive perks.
• Crafting membership plans: Discover the magic of one-time, monthly, or annual payments, along with the power of “Pay what you want.”
• Multiple membership levels: Unveil the secrets of Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels, or even create specialized topical memberships.
• Managing subscriptions: Get insights on handling subscribers, earnings, and payment plans with ease.

Lessons tailored for you

We’re committed to your success, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro. From no-cost options to the dynamic WooCommerce Memberships, we’ve got you covered. Each lesson guides you step-by-step, ensuring you have the necessary foundation to build your membership site.

The Membership Sites 101 course is your passport to creating an online sanctuary that your audience will adore. Our community forum is here to fuel your inspiration, answer questions, and share success stories.

Join the movement of website creators transforming their passion into thriving online communities. Let’s make your website the ultimate destination!

Ready to learn? Head over to our Learning Hub and ignite your website’s potential with our Membership Sites 101 course. Your digital adventure awaits:

WordPress 6.3.1 is now available!

This minor release features 4 bug fixes in Core and 6 bug fixes for the block editor. You can review a summary of the maintenance updates in this release by reading the Release Candidate announcement.

WordPress 6.3.1 is a short-cycle release. The next major release will be version 6.4 planned for November 2023.

If you have sites that support automatic background updates, the update process will begin automatically.

You can download WordPress 6.3.1 from WordPress.org, or visit your WordPress Dashboard, click “Updates”, and then click “Update Now”.

For more information on this release, please visit the HelpHub site.

Thank you to these WordPress contributors

This release was led by Jb Audras and Andrew Ozz, with the help of Sergey Biryukov on mission control, and Isabel Brison who worked on Gutenberg backports.

WordPress 6.3.1 would not have been possible without the contributions of the following people. Their asynchronous coordination to deliver maintenance fixes into a stable release is a testament to the power and capability of the WordPress community.

@antonvlasenko, @audrasjb, @austinginder, @azaozz, @dd32, @dlh, @frankit, @get_dave, @hellofromTonya, @khokansardar, @mathsgrinds, @mukesh27, @peterwilsoncc, @Presskopp, @rajinsharwar, @RavanH, @sergeybiryukov, and @tmatsuur.

How to contribute

To get involved in WordPress core development, head over to Trac, pick a ticket, and join the conversation in the #core and #6-4-release-leads channels. Need help? Check out the Core Contributor Handbook.

Thanks to @jeffpaul for proofreading.

Nearly 2,000 attendees gathered for two days of keynotes, sessions, and community-building conversations at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in the largest attended WordCamp US ever. Saturday’s sessions concluded with back-to-back keynotes by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy. 

What’s Next for WordPress

Josepha launched her keynote by celebrating 20 years of WordPress and reflecting on its journey from a blogging tool to the world’s most popular community-driven web platform. On WordPress as a platform for empowerment and change, Josepha shared, “The more people that know about WordPress, the more people can access the incredible opportunities that WordPress can provide.” And that sustaining the platform for future generations ensures these opportunities will persist. She added, “We exist for as long as people want to use our software.”

The community is the key to sustaining WordPress, and Josepha touched on the importance of WordCamps, workshops, and events that create value, promote inclusivity,  and spark inspiration. WordPress can be a catalyst for positive change in the life of a contributor, end user, or site builder.

Concluding her keynote, Josepha asked the audience to think about the story they’d want to tell about themselves and their time in WordPress; and the story they would want WordPress to tell the world.

What’s Next for Gutenberg

Matt began his keynote with a touch of nostalgia, referring to a comment on his personal blog in 2003 by WordPress Co-founder Mike Little, and then looked ahead to the most recent release, WordPress 6.3. As this year’s largest release, it includes new features such as the Command Palette, a quick way (⌘+k on Mac or Ctrl+k on Windows) to search your site and access common commands.

Matt continued, “WordPress never rests, so right around the corner is WordPress 6.4 on Nov 7… with some cool new features.” He shared that 6.4, like 5.6, will be an underrepresented gender-led release. A new default theme, Twenty Twenty-Four, is tailored for entrepreneurs and small businesses, photographers and artists, and writers and bloggers. Additionally, 6.4 will feature integrated font management and Image block options to expand single images for optimal viewing.

Looking further into the future, Matt highlighted Phase 3 of the Gutenberg project, which will focus on workflows and collaboration, “moving WordPress from a single-player to a multi-player tool.” In that spirit of collaboration, a new #LMS working group will also bring WordPress learning management systems together to improve the web standards for courses and learning content.

Beyond Phase 3, Matt shared thoughts about what it means to support WordPress many years from now. A new 100-Year Plan from WordPress.com is an exploration into long-term planning for your online presence. He encouraged attendees to be inspired by the region’s history, reflecting on what it would mean to honor the past while anticipating and planning for the future. 

Q&A

A Q&A session followed the keynotes, with questions submitted by the in-person audience and live stream viewers.

Additional questions will be answered in a future post on make.WordPress.org/project/. Join the global community making WordPress and be part of our journey toward a brighter future!

Thank you to @angelasjin, @bmcsherry, @cbringmann, @dansoschin, and @eidolonnight for collaborating on this post.

For almost 20 years, WordPress.com has been committed to providing a user-friendly and stable platform where anyone with a story to tell can do so freely and securely. Many of our customers have been with us from the beginning, and we’re proud to have been a partner in their digital journeys. 

Now, we’re thrilled to announce something truly new and exceptional: a plan designed exclusively for those seeking the ultimate in security and longevity for their digital presence.

Safeguard your online legacy with the 100-Year Plan. This brand-new offering is for:

• Families who wish to preserve their digital assets—the stories, photos, sounds, and videos that make up their rich family history—for generations to come.
• Founders who want to protect and document their company’s past, present, and future.
• Individuals seeking a stable, flexible, and customized online home that can adapt to whatever changes the future of technology will bring.

WordPress.com has played an integral role in creating and stewarding the software that powers nearly half the web and remains the most trusted CMS on the planet. Our managed hosting provides blazing fast load times, airtight security, privacy protection, and everything else you’ve come to expect from a top-of-the-line host. Those elements remain our north star and are a crucial foundation for the millions of customers who trust us with their online presence.

But the 100-Year Plan transcends conventional hosting. Included in this unique offer:

• Century-Long Domain Registration: A domain is your most valuable digital asset. While standard domain registrations last a decade, our 100-Year Plan gives you an opportunity to secure your domain for a full century.
• Even More Peace of Mind: As guardians of your life’s work, we take our duty seriously. At the platform level, we maintain multiple backups of your content across geographically distributed data centers, automatically submit your site to the Internet Archive if it’s public, and will provide an optional locked mode.
• Enhanced Ownership Protocols: Navigate life’s milestones with ease. Whether you’re gifting a site to a newborn or facilitating a smooth transfer of ownership, we’re here to assist every step of the way.
• Top-Tier Managed WordPress Hosting: The very best managed WordPress experience with unmetered bandwidth, best-in-class speed, and unstoppable security bundled in one convenient package.
• 24/7 Premier Support: The WordPress.com 100-Year Plan includes dedicated, personalized support that begins with your interest form submission.

The 100-Year Plan isn’t just about today. It’s an investment in tomorrow. Whether you’re cementing your own digital legacy or gifting 100 years of a trusted platform to a loved one, this plan is a testament to the future’s boundless potential.

If you’re interested in learning more, fill out the form found here:

The WordPress.com team is always working on new design ideas to bring your website to life. Check out the latest themes in our library, featuring beautiful new options for bloggers and creators of all stripes.

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Negai

Negai (which means “hope” or “wish” in Japanese) is a bold blogging theme built on unadorned simplicity and minimalistic elegance. With monochromatic hues and oversized headlines, its straightforward and unapologetic style stands out in a world saturated with visual overwhelm.

Negai comes in nine color variations if blue/white isn’t the style you’re looking for.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.

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Sten

Sten is a minimal blogging theme with a simple, straightforward homepage that displays a headline-only list of posts. Pages and posts are similarly spare, displaying a text-forward style that will appeal to writers and readers alike.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.

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Overlaid

Overlaid is a theme that displays large titles and post excerpts that scroll over an image on the homepage. Text over an image doesn’t always work, but we solved that with large, center-aligned, and capitalized headings. Its blog post pages are crafted especially for users who want their writings to be simple yet beautiful.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.

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Reverie

Reverie is a theme inspired by the work of Mark Rothko. It features four style variations, one for each season—Spring (default), Summer, Fall, and Winter. Use it to illuminate your prose, poetry, stories, photos, and more. Reverie is based on WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg’s site at ma.tt, which was designed by Joen Asmussen.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.

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DOS

DOS is a blog theme designed for the nostalgic creators of the ’80s and ’90s, as a tribute to the folks who invented computing as we know it today. With its monotype font and contrasting hues of green or amber over black, you’ll be transported back to the early days of coding when anything on a computer screen was inviting and exciting.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.

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To install any of the above themes, click the name of the theme you like, which brings you right to the installation page. Then click the “Activate this design” button. You can also click “Open live demo,” which brings up a clickable, scrollable version of the theme for you to preview.

Premium themes are available to use at no extra charge for customers on the Premium plan or above. Partner themes are third-party products that can be purchased for $79/year each.

You can explore all of our themes by navigating to the “Themes” page, which is found under “Appearance” in the left-side menu of your WordPress.com dashboard. Or you can click below:

Ever wished you could seamlessly guide visitors from one domain to another? That’s precisely what domain forwarding does. 

We frequently use it here at WordPress.com. For instance, when you type in ownyouridentity.online—a catchy and memorable URL, if we do say so ourselves—you’re taken straight to our page at WordPress.com/domains. 

Today, we’re happy to let you know that domain forwarding is available and easily accessible on WordPress.com. 

This feature is perfect for folks who want to utilize a unique domain name that will lead visitors to a specific site or page. Forwarding can be used for a number of purposes: 

• E-commerce Campaigns: Launching a product? Secure a catchy domain and point it directly to your product page.
• Rebranding: If your long-established domain isn’t snappy, mask it with a more memorable one.
• Social Media Simplification: Make it easy for people to find your Facebook or LinkedIn by redirecting a unique domain straight to your profile.

Set up domain forwarding in minutes

You can use a domain already registered at WordPress.com, transfer a domain from an existing registrar (like Google), or purchase a brand new domain. 

To set up domain forwarding today, follow these three easy steps:

1. Visit your domain management dashboard at WordPress.com/domains/manage.
2. Click the domain you’d like to forward, which will bring you to that domain’s settings page.  
3. Click the “Redirect Domain” section, enter the URL you’d like to forward to, and hit save. 

Use WordPress.com for all your domain needs. If you’re looking for a Google Domains alternative due to their recent sale to Squarespace, we’re offering seamless transfers to WordPress.com and paying all your fees (which also extends your registration by one year).  

Out of the box you’re getting:

• A faster domain than you’ll get at GoDaddy, DigitalOcean, or Google
• Free privacy protection 
• Free SSL certificate (when you host with us) 

Learn more at ownyouridentity.online. 

If you haven’t yet tried out Blaze, our incredible advertising wizard that helps to promote your blog posts across the WordPress.com and Tumblr networks, there’s no better time than now.

The beauty of Blaze lies in its automation capabilities. Our tool effortlessly creates the initial ad draft for you, making use of your blog post’s title, its featured image, and a short excerpt of the post.

But to get the most out of Blaze, it’s worth taking a couple extra minutes to make sure the ad is compelling enough to be worth a visitor’s click. Blaze ads are fully customizable, allowing you to tailor them to better reach and resonate with your audience. 

Let’s explore five proven ways you can maximize your ads’ impact.

1. Use your audience’s language

It’s not enough to know who your audience is; you must also understand their language. By language, we mean the specific jargon, phrases, and expressions your target audience uses. Incorporating audience language into your Blaze ads makes them more relatable, thus increasing engagement.

For example, if your blog is about fitness, use phrases like “HIIT,” “macros,” or “strength training.” These are terms your audience will be familiar with, and seeing them in an ad will likely grab their attention.

2. Add a unique image

While Blaze does an excellent job of selecting your post’s featured image for your ad, it doesn’t know the whole story. If you have a more impactful, compelling image, don’t hesitate to swap it out. Remember, a picture can speak a thousand words and can often be the difference between a user clicking on your ad or scrolling past it.

3. Create a compelling headline

Blaze automatically uses your blog post title as the headline for your ad. However, you might want to consider creating a new, more compelling headline specifically for the ad. This headline doesn’t need to match your blog post title exactly; it just needs to capture attention and entice readers to want to learn more.

For instance, if your blog post title is “Top 10 Gardening Tips,” a more enticing ad headline could be, “Transform Your Garden With These Expert Tips.”

4. Craft a convincing call-to-action

While the post snippet gives readers a preview of your blog content, a strong call-to-action (CTA) can encourage users to engage further. For example, using words that imply exclusive benefits, such as “secret” or “new,” makes readers want to know more. In our gardening example, a CTA like “Discover the five simple secrets to a lush garden that only the pros know,” is enticing and gives readers a good reason to click on your ad.

5. Test and learn

Lastly, always remember the importance of testing different ad variations. Blaze’s customization capabilities allow you to try out other headlines, images, post snippets, and CTAs. You can even select different audiences to see which respond more favorably to your ads. See which combinations work best and refine your approach based on your learning.

Blaze is an incredibly powerful tool for boosting your blog post promotions, and with these customization tips, you can ensure your ads make the biggest splash possible. Don’t just set it and forget it—use Blaze to its fullest potential and watch your blog’s reach grow like never before.

Since launching our domain transfer offer to Google Domains customers just over two weeks ago, we’ve been overwhelmed and heartened by the response of those who’ve made the switch. 

If you haven’t heard about this incredible deal and are one of the millions of folks looking for a Google Domains alternative, here’s why you should make the switch to WordPress.com ASAP: 

• We’re paying transfer fees for the first million domains that move from Google to WordPress.com 
• In addition to that transfer fee is an additional year of domain registration 
• Free privacy protection — your contact information will stay private 
• You’ll get a free SSL certificate if and when you choose to host your website with us 
• We’re matching (or beating) all of Google’s prices for the long haul 
• No website or hosting plan needed, ever, to keep your domains on WordPress.com  

Don’t take our word for it, though. Here’s what folks are saying: 

To be clear, there’s no catch! WordPress.com has been a domain registrar for over a decade.

(By the way, we’ve made a bunch of improvements to the Reader in the last handful of months. Check it out!)

It’s not just customers who are taking notice. The domains industry is weighing in too. DomainInvesting.com noted: 

“I would imagine there are many Google Domains customers who use WordPress for their website, so this offer makes sense.”

WPTavern, an outlet that covers WordPress news, commented: 

“WordPress.com is putting the heat on with a new offer to pay transfer fees and an additional year of registration for the first million domains moved from Google Domains. WordPress.com is also guaranteeing Google Domains customers the same pricing or lower for 400+ top-level domains.”

Search Engine Journal, the top spot for SEO news, compared our new offering directly to GoDaddy: 

Are WordPress.com Domain Registrations Cheap?

Yes, registering a domain with WordPress.com is very low priced, matching the low prices that Google Domains charges.

• GoDaddy charges $21.99 per year for registering a dot com domain.
• WordPress.com only charges $12 per year for the same dot com domain.

If you’re a Google Domains customer, be sure to move to WordPress.com today to take advantage of this incredible deal. If you’re not a Google Domains customer, we hope you’ll consider WordPress.com for your domain(s) management. You won’t find better long-term prices or support anywhere. 

Earlier this year, WordPressers around the globe united to celebrate 20 years of community and innovation. There were parties, blogs, videos, and social media posts aplenty. And, of course, the trending hashtag, “#WP20”.

Throughout April and May, community members reflected on their journeys – what brought them to WordPress and its personal meaning. The stories, tweets, and videos were inspiring, nostalgic, and even humorous at times. There was swag, and the cakes were epic.

Let’s take a look!

Want to see more tweets? Check out the tweet wall here.

Bits & Bytes

• Official website for WP20
• The #WP20 hashtag was used at least 18,000 times between March 1 and June 8, 2023 on social peaking on May 27 with at least 2,700+ metions
• 165+ meetups took place to celebrate WP20
• At least 4,661 people attended a meetup across six continents
• 100+ kits of swag were shipped to meetup organizers

Want more social media for WordPress? Check out the official accounts here:

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Pinterest
• Tumblr

Snapshots from WP20 Celebrations

Props

WP20 celebrations, swag, websites, social media, graphics, and so much more could not have happened without the wonderful contributions of so many. Beyond the organizers of the 165+ events, there were many people working behind the scenes to ensure WordPress got the recognition it deserved. Thank you to everyone who worked behind the scenes to organize the meetups, create swag, and to spread the word. Some of these hardworking folks include: Mark Andrew, Joen Asmussen, Tino Barreiro, Chloe Bringmann, Josepha Haden Chomphosy, Cate DeRosia, Em DeRosia, Beatriz Fialho, Nicholas Garofalo, Nyasha Green, Nick Hamze, Meagan Hanes, Kelly Hoffman, Pablo Honey, Santana Inniss, Marko Ivanovic, Angela Jin, Winston Koone, Megan Marcel, Jenni McKinnon, Brett McSherry, Jonathan Pantani, Se Reed, Lauren Stein, Francisco Vera, Andrew Wikel, and Adam Wood.

Some More Fun

A WordPress event is not complete without a Wapuu, and not only was there one, but there was a whole campaign to color it in! Thanks to Em DeRosia for creating the commemorative Wapuu!

The Marketing team ran an interactive campaign, From Blogs to Blocks, a series of prompts across 20 days for WordPress enthusiasts to celebrate all-things WordPress.

Additional campaigns took place on social media and included prompting folks to share their favorite WordPress memory and most cherished WordPress swag item, to highlight the 21 contributing teams, and even to share a birthday greeting.

My fav #WordPress swag, which I use daily! This was the speaker swag from #WCBos 2019. @melchoyce, I think you designed this stunning logo? #WP20 https://t.co/1sEIEMGzM9 pic.twitter.com/F0ufF9msqP

— Angela Jin (@AngelaSJin) April 25, 2023

We had lots of digital goodies too! From 3D desktop wallpaper, to selfie-props for the celebrations, and more. You can download them here.

Got Swag? Need Swag?

It’s not too late to order your WP20 commemorative items. Find shirts, stickers, and more, while supplies last!

See you in five years for the 25th!

Sign up here to stay in the “know”!