People behind WordPress! The greatest company in the world! And I am not saying this just because I work there but because of all the things this company does in order to make the web a better place.
It’s been quite a few years since the last time I changed my site’s appearance. Since I’m still on my vacation, I figured it’s finally time to change the theme and the overall look.
I wanted a bit different layout, a simple design with a homepage that is both a static page and a blog, with an accent on full-width. As a Happiness Engineer at Automattic, I am using the new WordPress Block Editor (codename Gutenberg) on a daily basis and it’s usually one of the main areas I cover during the screensharing sessions. I watched this editor evolve over the past three years into a powerful tool that provides a new and improved editing experience compared to the Classic Editor that’s been around since the birth of WordPress.
On my site, I’ve been using the new editor ever since it got released but I never fully converted my website to blocks. Until today 🙂
Let me know what you think of the new look and the 2020 theme I started using! I definitely prefer this design but if you’d like to compare it to the old one, you can check this Web Archive link.
P.S. If you’re still using the Classic Editor, try giving Gutenberg another shot. It offers a lot more flexibility and it’s evolved a lot since its release. And it’s a lot more fun!
My workspace got completely pimped up and it makes me feel really happy 🙂 After spending a bit over 4 years at Automattic, I received a gift in a form of a W laptop and it’s absolutely fantastic!
WordPress Macbook Pro
And on top of that, I received two figurines as a birthday present from my brother. These aren’t Son Goku or dragon figurines this time. These are Naruto and Pain, from the Naruto anime – in my opinion, easily one of the top 3 TV shows ever made.
The figurines depict one of the most legendary battles ever created. The first time I started watching the battle, I thought I’d just watch a couple of episodes while I was grabbing lunch. Fast forward, it’s way past midnight and I’m still in front of the TV. Yes, it was that addictive!
If you are reluctant to watch Naruto, don’t be. It’s an incredible anime, with fantastic plot twists, and character depth. I have yet to discover another TV show as complex as this one. The biggest downside, though, is that it has around 700 episodes 😬 However, given the current state the world is in, it’s even better that Naruto has this many episodes 🙂
Also:
P.S. Automattic is still hiring! Check all the available positions on our official Work With Us page.
In the last 30 days, I had an opportunity to speak at two local WordPress meetups in Serbia – WordPress meetup VrÅ¡ac and WordPress meetup Zrenjanin. I held the same talk both times and the title of it was WordPress support – 700+ 1:1 sessions with WordPress users.
Anyone can create a free site at WordPress.com. However, with the paid plans, lots of additional features get unlocked. With the top tier plans (Business and eCommerce), WordPress.com users get two complementary 1:1 sessions. A session lasts for 30 minutes but it can also be purchased with any WordPress.com plan (a session will then last for 45 minutes).
During these sessions, a WordPress.com user can ask any questions they have and a Happiness Engineer is there to assist. We’ll help folks build their site from scratch, set up a store, improve SEO, find the best plugin or theme for their needs etc.
After the session, a Happiness Engineer provides detailed instructions on what was covered during the call and a list of the next recommended steps for the site. A recording of the whole session will also be available.
1:1 Sessions Takeaways
So far, I’ve completed over 700 of these sessions. In my humble opinion, this is the best way of providing support for a product. During these 30 (45) minutes, the amount of information that gets shared can be an equivalent of ~50 email exchanges. Also, seeing and hearing a person’s voice beats the email exchange at any time. And as a cherry on top, the user can always look at the video recording.
WordPress Meetups in Vršac and Zrenjanin
I’m super happy that I had the privilege to share my experience from these sessions at two WordPress meetups. I provided the details on how the sessions are conducted, the various topics that can be covered, and the solutions to certain problems that WordPress users might face.
In the end, I also shared my list of the WordPress plugins I recommend and the slides and videos from the WordPress workshops I held last year in Novi Sad.
The talks were in Serbian and the slides are available here. I’d be thrilled to have an opportunity to hold this talk in English at a WordPress meetup or WordCamp in the future 😎
P.S. I used the WordPress app to write this post on my phone. If you like writing on the go, definitely take the app for a spin!
