Wordpress: Wp-tonic Show Is For Online Course Builders, Business Owners & Wordpress Professionals

We have a great discussion here with Cody Landefeld, co-founder of Mode Effect, a WordPress ecommerce agency that has worked with Fortune 500 companies. We talk with Cody about some of the difference between a regular web project and an eCommerce web project. What should you be preparing for with eCommerce that is different from regular web development? You can learn more about Cody at https://modeeffect.com/   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of hosting. Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress  and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 164   0:00 Podcast intros. 2:55 WordPress News Story #1: Logging Into WooCommerce.com Now Requires a WordPress.com Account https://wptavern.com/logging-into-woocommerce-com-now-requires-a-wordpress-com-account 9:29 WordPress Story #2:  Content Injection Vulnerability in WordPress 4.7 and 4.7.1 https://bl

Consultant Philip Morgan discusses positioning in a crowded market. He literally wrote the book on positioning for technical firms. Philip helps technical consultants, like web development shops, find a specialized position in a generalized world. This specialization, in turn, helps those firms strengthen their expertise in a specific niche and command higher rates. We really enjoyed this interview with Philip Morgan. Philip focuses on helping web agencies, freelancers, and small businesses position themselves online. Philip has some strong ideas connected to positioning and we highly advise you to listen to his ideas. You can learn more about Philip at https://philipmorganconsulting.com/   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of hosting. Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 161   0:00 Podcast intr

Web pioneer Jeremy Keith talks with us about the resiliency of the web, upcoming innovations in CSS and browser support, native vs. web, and what he's excited about in web development. You can follow him on his site at https://adactio.com/.   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of hosting. Head over to https://liquidweb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 161 0:00 Podcast intros. 2:16 Resilient Web Design, and how the past influences the future 4:42 Has the web gotten too complex? How has the evolution of the web influenced our job roles? 9:19 What brings about an obsession with tools rather than underlying principles? 11:54 What was it like during the Web Standards movement, and why is that important today? 17:29 What things that are going to be supported by browsers in the next year are making you excited? Both CSS and JS AP

Following up our previous episode with a discussion on different types of pricing for web design and development services. How do we price our projects? Hourly? Fixed fee? Project rate? Blended rate? Value based? We also talk about some of the mistakes we've made in pricing projects, and the #1 step we recommend to estimating web development projects more accurately.   Our WordPress panel this week: Kim Shivler: http://howtobuildanonlinecourse.com/ Jackie D'Elia: https://jackiedelia.com/ Lee Jackson: http://leejacksondev.com/ Jonathan Denwood: https://www.wp-tonic.com/ Sallie Goetsch: https://www.wpfangirl.com/ John Locke: https://www.lockedowndesign.com/   Episode 161 Table of Contents 0:00 Podcast intros 3:24 WordPress News Story #1: Wix Removes GPL-Licensed WordPress Code from Mobile App, Forks Original MIT Library https://wptavern.com/wix-removes-gpl-licensed-wordpress-code-from-mobile-app-forks-original-mit-library 10:59 WordPress New Story #2: How News Corp Australia made WordPress scale http://www.it

In episode 160, consultant Jonathan Stark tells us why hourly billing is nuts. Jonathan Stark built a six figure solo consultancy by ditching hourly billing for value-based fees. He has a decade of real-world experience successfully applying value-based theories to software development projects. With his coaching program, he teaches freelancers, solo consultants, and boutique firm owners how to do the same. You can join his daily email list at: https://expensiveproblem.com/daily You can also sign up at: https://valuepricingbootcamp.com   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by WP Security Audit Log https://www.wpsecurityauditlog.com Use Coupon Code WPTONIC25 for 25% off your checkout. ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 160 0:00 Podcast intros. 3:32 How does value based pricing differ from traditional hourly billing? 4:55 Hourly billing puts the client and service provider at cross-purposes. 6:10 What are the side effects of basing project work on hourly pricing as opposed to

We take a look at the growing ecosystem of contact forms for WordPress. Which ones should you check out? Which are best for your project? What types of functionality exist in contact forms in 2017?   ===================   Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for 6 months on managed WordPress hosting for our viewers. Head over to https://www.liquidweb.com/wordpress  and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your 33% discount.   ===================   Our panel this week: Kim Shivler https://howtobuildanonlinecourse.com/ Sallie Goetsch https://www.wpfangirl.com/ Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/ John Locke https://www.lockedowndesign.com/   Table of Contents for Episode 159: WordPress Contact Forms 0:00 Podcast Intros 3:23 WordPress New Story #1: Jetpack 4.5 Expands Monetization with WordAds Integration https://wptavern.com/jetpack-4-5-expands-monetization-with-wordads-integration 12:51 WordPress Story #2: Is business growth the best metric to focus on? CozmosLabs 2016 year in review. https://www.c

This week, we are blessed to have Rachel Andrew as our guest. Rachel is an accomplished web developer, co-founder of Perch CMS, a Google Developer Expert, an invited expert to the CSS Working Group (which sets the direction for how CSS works in the future). For the past four years, Rachel has also been the leading authority on CSS Grid, which is set to be supported in most major browsers in early 2017. We're very glad Rachel spent some time with us, and talked about both the past and the bright future of the web. You can find Rachel in various places. Here are just a few: Website: https://rachelandrew.co.uk/ Perch CMS: https://grabaperch.com/ Edge of My Seat: http://www.edgeofmyseat.com/   Table of Contents for Episode 158 0:00 Podcast intros 2:50 Rachel's origin story: How she became a web developer 5:05 Are we entering the next Golden Age of the web? Especially when it comes to CSS and layout? 8:24 Have CSS frameworks killed the creativity of the web? Will CSS Grid end up being a replacement for Bootstrap?

Our WordPress panel discusses the planning, coordination, and execution of a complex site migration from one hosting environment to another. We'll also cover what type of content planning you'll need to put together when moving from one platform to another (like from an external CMS to WordPress.) Our panel this week: Sallie Goetsch: https://www.wpfangirl.com/ Jackie D'Elia: https://jackiedelia.com/ Robert Abela: https://www.wpwhitesecurity.com/ Jonathan Denwood: https://www.wp-tonic.com/ John Locke: https://www.lockedowndesign.com/ Table of Contents for Episode 157 0:00 Podcast Intros 3:15 WordPress Story #1: Tom McFarlin to Launch Marketplace for Blogging Plugins, Finds New Maintainer for WordPress.org Plugins https://wptavern.com/tom-mcfarlin-to-launch-marketplace-for-blogging-plugins-finds-new-maintainer-for-wordpress-org-plugins 10:42 WordPress Story #2: What makes a great editor? https://make.wordpress.org/design/2017/01/11/what-makes-a-great-editor/ 27:39 WordPress Story #3: WordPress Hosting Review

Carrie Dils returns to WP-Tonic for her third appearance. She is the queen of the Genesis Framework and also the host of the popular Office Hours FM podcast. We ask her about the future of Genesis, multiple income streams, teaching courses, and podcasting. You can find Carrie at https://carriedils.com/. She also hosts one of the top WordPress podcasts at https://officehours.fm/. Episode 156 Table of Contents 0:00 Podcast intros 1:23 Carrie's origin story and how she got into web development. 2:48 How has the WordPress ecosystem changed over the past few years? 5:03 Has the bar gotten higher for making a living in the WordPress community? 6:29 What advice would you give to WordPress entrepreneurs? 8:45 The value of positioning and hiring for roles that you don't enjoy. 10:39 We all want diversification of revenue streams. How did Carrie build multiple streams of revenue? 12:31 Some practical advice on podcasting and teaching. 15:38 How important is it to teach others? How does this build your authority for the

In this WP-Tonic round-table we discuss Web Accessibility. What tools does the panel use to test sites for accessibility? What are the key factors that you must know about web accessibility in 2017? We discuss web accessibility standards and guidelines. How do you make sites more accessible? What needs to be included and tested? Why do web developers tend to put accessibility on the back burner? What are the benefits of building accessible sites?   Our panel this week: Jackie D'Elia https://jackiedelia.com/ Lee Jackson http://angledcrown.com/ Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/ John Locke https://www.lockedowndesign.com/   Podcast 155 Table of Contents: 0:00 Podcast Intros 1:38 WordPress News Story #1: Renewing Medium's Focus https://blog.medium.com/renewing-mediums-focus-98f374a960be#.qxrop598x 14:33 WordPress News Story #2: W3Techs Ranks WordPress as the Fastest Growing CMS of 2016 https://wptavern.com/w3techs-ranks-wordpress-as-the-fastest-growing-cms-of-2016 23:44 WordPress Story #3: Matt Mullenw

Nate Wright provides WordPress themes and plugins to build better restaurant websites. After more than three years delivering products for restaurants, cafes and bars, he's built up a suite of free and commercial products to help you take reservations online, manage your restaurant menus and boost local SEO.   Nate Wright runs Theme of the Crop, a WordPress company that specializes in themes and plugins for restaurants. We'll talk to him about the specific challenges in digital marketing for restaurant owners and those in the food and beverage industry. You can find Nate's website at https://themeofthecrop.com/ . Episode 154 Table of Contents 0:00 Podcast Intros 1:13 The Theme of the Crop origin story 2:58 The web scene in Edinburgh 4:14 Are restaurants valuing marketing and their web presence more than before? 7:03 How does Nate educate the people who use his products? What are some examples of restaurants using content marketing successfully? 11:00 Nate's experience selling products to quickly build restaur

Jonathan on 2016 We look back through 2016 at what were the most interesting WordPress stories. Also, what guest interviews we found personally the most insightful or surprising. For me personally, the best part of 2016 connected to the show is having John Locke join the team and agreeing to be my full-time co-host. I’ve known John for slightly over two years and I got to say he one of the most hard-working and knowledgeable guys I know in the WordPress Community. John on 2016 For me, 2016 was one of those years where I look back not at how fast it went, but how much we accomplished individually and collectively. WordPress itself has 27% of the market share. The Sacramento WordCamp team put on their second WordCamp. Jonathan was gracious enough to invite me to co-host WP-Tonic, and since then, we’ve continued to put out great shows week after week. 2016 has been a real turning point for so many people in the WordPress community. We’ve seen new companies launch, and others get acquired. Many solo consultants

We look at a number of tools and services that we use on a daily basis. These are services that make a big difference in how we run our businesses. We move at speed and cover a lot of ground in this pre-Christmas show! Summary: We talk about our favorite web tools of 2016. Covered: tools for productivity, project management, accounting, invoicing, social media, content management, and content creation.   Episode 152 Table of Contents 0:00 Podcast intros. 1:37 What we use for video conferencing. 4:50 Our choice for video hosting. 8:32 John's choice for invoicing software. 10:56 Jonathan's choice for invoicing software. 11:44 An alternative for external email addresses. 13:54 Jonathan's choice for a CRM. 16:44 A tool John uses for local SEO citations. 20:09 Jonathan has a pick for SEO keyword research. 21:04 Another pick for email outreach. 23:00 A tool we are using for project management internally. 24:54 John's tools for migrating websites. 27:20 Jonathan's choices for site backups. 29:28 Two cautionary tales

We have an insightful and enjoyable interview with Josh Pollock, the co-founder of Caldera Forms. We cover a lot of stuff in this conversation. Josh tells us how he got started in WordPress development, and his philosophy for running a commercial plugin shop in the WordPress ecosystem. Josh also talks with us about Caldera Forms, product stories, and the future of WordPress. Caldera Forms: https://calderaforms.com/ Josh Pollock on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Josh412 Josh's site: https://joshpress.net/   Episode 151 Table of Contents 0:00 Podcast intros 1:32 Josh's web development origin story. 3:57 Do you need a computer science degree to be a successful WordPress entrepreneur? 4:53 What made Josh decide to strike out on his own as an entrepreneur? 7:17 Why did Josh decide to target contact forms as a product category? 11:06 How important is storytelling in product marketing? 15:13 Finding your target market and target customers. 19:32 How did Josh figure out what he wanted to be different about Caldera Form

For our 150th episode, we discuss a busy week in WordPress news and our main topic, the best starter themes and theme frameworks for WordPress development. Our panel this week: Carrie Forde https://carrieforde.com/ Kim Shivler https://whiteglovewebtraining.com/ Sallie Goetsch https://www.wpfangirl.com/ Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/ John Locke https://www.lockedowndesign.com/ ============   Episode 150 Table of Contents 0:00 Podcast Intros 2:06 WordPress News Story #1: State of the Word 2016: Mullenweg Pushes Calypso as Future of WordPress’ Interface, Proposes Major Changes to Release Cycle https://wptavern.com/state-of-the-word-2016-mullenweg-pushes-calypso-as-future-of-wordpress-interface-proposes-major-changes-to-release-cycle 11:21 WordPress News Story #2: Pantheon’s $100K WordCamp US Sponsorship Revoked the Night Before the Event https://wptavern.com/pantheons-100k-wordcamp-us-sponsorship-revoked-the-night-before-the-event 25:53 WordPress News Story #3: GoDaddy Acquires WP Curve: What This

We talk with front end architect/designer Carrie Forde about atomic design and front-end development for WordPress. Carrie's Forde day job is as a front-end developer at the highly-respected WebDevStudios. Carrie Forde on Twitter: https://twitter.com/carrieforde Carrie's site: https://carrieforde.com/   Table of Contents for Episode 149 0:00 Podcast intros. 1:22 Carrie's origin story. 3:44 What Carrie's work typical work day looks like right now. 4:56 How difficult is it to break into front-end development in today's environment? 7:20 Carrie tells us about her Alcatraz framework for WordPress that she developed. 9:05 What are style tiles? And what is Carrie's style tiles plugin for WordPress? 12:27 Carries teaches us about atomic design and the benefits of using it in UI design. 17:10 More resources for learning about Atomic Design. 19:38 What the WordPress community can do to make themes more accessible? 21:43 A habit to develop when creating WordPress themes to make them translatable. 22:48 What inspired Ca

Our weekly Saturday round-table focuses on the processes we use to intake clients, design and develop websites, test and launch, and have ongoing relationships. What are the tools they use? And what are the internal processes that the panel have developed to help them manage projects? The panel this week: Lee Jackson http://leejacksondev.com/ Sallie Goetsch https://www.wpfangirl.com/ John Locke https://www.lockedowndesign.com/ Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/   Episode 148 Table of Contents: 0:00 Podcast Intros 1:13 WordPress News Story #1: Flywheel Acquires WordPress Local Development Tool Pressmatic https://wptavern.com/flywheel-acquires-wordpress-local-development-tool-pressmatic 9:42 WordPress Story #3: PDF Image Previews Among the Improvements to Media in WordPress 4.7 https://wptavern.com/pdf-image-previews-among-the-improvements-to-media-in-wordpress-4-7 19:55 WordCamp 2016 2 to 4th of December 2016 https://2016.us.wordcamp.org/ 23:10 The processes for the various stages of web projects. 23

Two of the founders of Beaver Builder: Justin Busa and Robby McCullough, share the history of the company and their future plans. There is a lot to learn about launching product in this great conversation. Beaver Builder: https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/   Episode 147 Table of Contents 0:00 Podcast Intros 1:43 The origin story of Beaver Builder and how the founders met. 3:32 What were the challenges moving from client services to a product company? 5:32 How do you know when you're at the tipping point with your product? How scary is it to pull the trigger and go all in? 8:20 Was Beaver Builder being targeted at agencies from the start? How did you market Beaver Builder in the early days? 10:21 What did you do to get the product in front of people at first? 13:35 Were you surprised when you saw third-party developers building products for Beaver Builder? 15:18 Are you in close communication with third-party developers? How do you plan your roadmap for the product? 17:01 What are the challenges of building a co

We have a great round table show with special guest Lee Jackson of the WP Innovator podcast. We talk all about the tools that we use daily to help us run our businesses. We look at a number of different categories from invoicing to project management tools.   The panel this week: Lee Jackson http://leejacksondev.com/ Jackie D'Elia https://jackiedelia.com/ Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/ Sallie Goetsch https://www.wpfangirl.com/ John Locke https://www.lockedowndesign.com/   ====================== Episode 146 Table of contents:   0:00 Podcast intros 1:43 WordPress News Story #1: Elementor Pro – Things Have Changed http://snifflevalve.com/elementor-pro-things-have-changed/ 15:11 Our picks for accounting and invoicing. 24:51 What do we use for writing proposals? 34:49 What are our choices for CRMs? 40:42 What are we using for project management software? 59:00 What do we use for time tracking? What tasks do we actually track time for?   ====================== Links Mentioned in WP-Tonic: Episode 146 Vi

This Week We fun and insightful Interview with Lee Jackson host of the WP Innovator podcast & the owner of a highly successful WordPress development agency that exclusively only works with other digital agencies.   You can find Lee at his website: http://leejacksondev.com/ . Be sure to check out his podcast at: http://leejacksondev.com/podcast/ .   Table of Contents for Episode 145 0:00 Podcast intros 1:15 Lee Jackson Dev is an agency for print and design agencies. How does Lee find those perfect clients? 3:50 What is the big advantage for design-focused agencies to bringing in Lee's agency as a trusted partner? 6:20 What is one of the most surprising things that Lee has found partner agencies want him to do? 7:45 What are the big differences between a freelancer and a bona fide agency when it comes handling a client brief? 9:55 How did Lee earn the trust to be in client meetings with partner agencies (who own the client relationships)? 12:04 Is there ever a reluctance with agencies to have a subcontract