WP Weekly 162 - Busy - Posts from API, More Block Layouts, Plugins Galore

It seems like we are entering a busy period for WordPress product updates. This week, tracking updates for MainWP, BuddyBoss, Meta Box, Presto Player, Fuse WP, and more. Check new community launches: WP Includes and WP Foodies. Also, Media Temple brand is going away, and 10up is merging into another brand.

❤️ The WP Awards 2023 the Nominations phase will end this week! So, just a handful of days left to submit a nomination for your WordPress product or service. Thanks to InMotion Hosting, 20i Hosting, Pressable, Unlimited WP, Meta Box, and Slim SEO for the support.

↑ Community Sponsors supporting this weekly

• New Plugins… by the ThemeDev team, new Salonly booking plugin for online appointment functionality on WordPress website for Beauty Salon and Spa businesses. Also, wpgetapi has released a new API to Posts plugin, allowing you to create WordPress posts, custom posts, or WooCommerce products from the API data.
  
  
• New for Builders…Chantal Marie has launched Hey Press Publish, featuring beautiful, ready-to-go layouts and sections for Kadence Blocks WordPress users. Ferdinand Nyarko has launched More Blocks for the Breakdance builder users offering more components and Google Chrome extension integration.
  
  
• New WP Projects… Siobhan McKeown and Francesca Marano have launched the WP Includes project to focus on increasing the representation of women in WordPress boardrooms and leadership roles. Jeff Chandler shared about the new WP Foodies project, a community filled with people who enjoy WordPress and food.

1. New Features… MainWP has introduced demo mode to help new users to experience MainWP first hand with sample data and guided tours – there is no need to connect sites to see how things work. Also, BuddyBoss has added a new Restrict Registration feature, allowing better control over who can join your community.
   
   
2. New Integrations… Meta Box has added integration for Divi builder. FuseWP 2.1.4.0v now allows you to sync members in the Paid Memberships Pro plugin to the many CRM and email marketing software it supports. HappyFiles Pro 1.8.3v has added integrations for Beaver Builder 2.7+v, BeTheme 27+v, and Cornerstone.
   
   
3. Product Updates… Presto Player 2.0 has introduced the Video Playlists feature for adding Netflix style videos vibe to your website. Also, AB Split Test 1.4.8v comes with a new UI, and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) split test events is now available on all plans.
   
   
4. New Forms & Woo Stuff… the new OmniForm plugin by JR Tashjian for creating and managing forms is now available in the WordPress directory. Also, TikTok Shop Now has been made available for WooCommerce merchants in the US and UK, allowing them to sync their stores with TikTok Shop for seamless selling.
   
   
5. Theme & Builder Updates… the Sydney Pro Theme has been updated with a new Elementor widget (preview) for LearnDash courses. Also, WPBakery has entered WPBuilder Fight Club with other page builder plugins and showing good results to begin with.
   
   
6. WordCamps Action… the call for media partners is now open for the WordCamp Asia 2024, scheduled for March 7, 2024, in Taipei, Taiwan. While the call for speakers for WordCamp Manila 2023, Philippines (November 11, 2023) is open till September 24, 2023.
   
   
7. WP Milestones… Imran Siddiq’s Youtube channel, Web Squadron, has crossed an impressive 30K+ subscribers. Jamie Marsland’s Youtube channel has crossed 14K subscribers and eyeing surpassing 15K rather quickly. Also, Satinder Singh from the Cool Plugins shared about their Automatic Translate Addon For Loco Translate reaching the 70,000+ active installs milestone.

• 82+ Free WordPress Plugins collection, and more to come soon.
• Which plugin you bought in 2023? Interesting answers of note!
• Made a new Plugin? 1184 WP Plugins are awaiting review, 76 days.
• Matt shared: 50% of the WordPress installs now on 6.3 version.
• Elementor’s Show Off 2023 competition, submit entries by Sep 21.
• Check the newly launched Cloudflare One’s data protection suite.

ACF Survey Results + Business of Merging Brands

ACF’s annual survey 2023 results have been published with interesting insights. 70% of people use ACF on all websites, and popular page builders among ACF users are: Elementor, Divi, and Beaver Builder. Also, 91% of those who responded will continue using WordPress for building websites.

Business of WP… the nostalgically popular hosting brand, Media Temple is closing and migrating its customers to GoDaddy – it was acquired by GoDaddy in 2013. While the popular brand in the WordPress space, 10up will soon merge with Fueled, which specializes in enterprise-grade online applications.

↑ Community Sponsors supporting this weekly

• Launch LTD Salonly Booking Plugin ($129) for Salon & Spa biz.
• Big Discount Presto Player LTD for $299 and upto 50% off yearly.
• New LTD WP-Stack panel to manage multiple WordPress websites.
• New: TemplateBox Library with templates for Gutenberg users.
• Bit Integrations to connect WP to other services, LTD from $49.
• Upto 65% OFF pCloud's 2TB storage for WP backups & Files.
• 100s of products listed in WordPress Lifetime Deals database.

Upcoming Events 💬

September 14, 2023: How Website Caching Works, BlueHost online event.
September 14, 2023: AI: The next Chapter - 2nd edition by HumanMade.
September 18, 2023: Page Builder Summit, the 2023 edition is here.

September 27, 2023: WordPress Accessibility Day 2023, Livestreaming Free.
September 28, 2023: WordPress Web Agency AI Summit, by Crocoblock.
September 28, 2023: Best Practices for Email Marketing, BlueHost event.

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By
Davinder Singh Kainth
A creative who Loves to Create Online Spaces powered by WordPress.

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