Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you happen to be hiding out there on the globe today! Coming to you LIVE from . . .
We've got a couple of great in-depth plugins to cover for you, some recent news in both the WordPress World and the Tech World in general, and some awesome WordPress Tips!
If you haven't already, you should get yourself to a lake and go swimming! Now is the perfect time of year because the lake has been heating up all summer, but it will be perfect for cooling down – and it's great exercise too, which means the ice cream after is pre-cancelled out. 😉
A few reminders before we start the show today….
Reminders:
- Join us here in person every Monday at 12:00pm Pacific Time to enjoy our show!
- Show notes are added to wppluginsatoz.com within 24 hours of the show airing; you can find them either on the home page, or in the Podcast Vaults!
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If you stick around until the end, you will have a chance to hear some good questions – sometimes meant for the greenies, sometimes meant for the very experienced – and sometimes the questions are just completely random. Stick around and have a listen, might help! Or at least entertain!
(Don't feel shy about sending in a message just to say hi! Send along suggestions, questions, recommendations, news, art – we always love to hear from our listeners!)
Let's start the show with this weeks Featured Artist:
Artist:
Who is our artist today?!?
Today is…. Grok pulled it off
Grok! And he gave us our title too. He's just such a useful little AI fella!
We would love some new art from our Producers out there! If you are so inclined, you can send it into us at https://wppluginsatoz.com/artwork/. If you need some inspiration, you can always go to our site wppluginsatoz.com and check out our Art Vaults – you will find the link for it on the left hand side.
We can NEVER have too much art!
Breaking News in the WordPress World at large!!
If you have anything you think should be added please send it into me at amber@wppro.ca!
News this week:
WordPress Vulnerability Report
(https://solidwp.com/blog/wordpress-vulnerability-report-july-16-2025/) – In this report there are 109 vulnerabilities. 89 are plugins this week, with 20 Themes.
Plugins: 56 patched, 33 left to go!
Themes: 9 patched, 11 left to go!
WordPress Vulnerability Report from PatchStack
(https://patchstack.com/database/) – These guys always have the latest information on what is going on regarding the latest in vulnerabilities.
New zero-day bug in Microsoft SharePoint under widespread attack
(https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/21/new-zero-day-bug-in-microsoft-sharepoint-under-widespread-attack/) – This is a quick thing just to let all the Microsoft users out there know that if they are users of SharePoint there is this going on. The bug involves the theft of digital keys that can be used to impersonate legitimate requests on the server.
To resolve you need to patch the bug, and take the additional steps of rotating your digital keys.
Check out the link to read more information on this and see if you need to worry.
WordPress 6.8.2 is now available (as of July 15)
(https://wordpress.org/news/2025/07/wordpress-6-8-2-maintenance-release/) – This minor release includes fixes for 20 core tickets and 15 block editor issues. For a full list of bug fixes you can go and check it out at the release candidate announcement.
WordPress 6.9 confirmed for December 2025 with roadmap on the way
(https://www.therepository.email/wordpress-6-9-confirmed-for-late-2025-with-roadmap-on-the-way) – The release date is set for December 2, 2025. I hope that it happens then and does not wind up being delayed until Christmas. This is something that we will be reminding people about when the date comes closer so that at least our listeners won't be caught unawares. If you are interested in seeing the current proposed release schedule you can check out the link here.
WordPress AI team publishes first roadmap focused on developer tools and infrastructure
(https://www.therepository.email/wordpress-ai-team-publishes-first-roadmap-focused-on-developer-tools-and-infrastructure) – The WordPress AI Team have released their first Technical Roadmap with their 4 ‘deliverables' laid out. Looking through this we can see that they are planning on creation of AI within WordPress with small, digestible steps that seem honestly rather logical and like they are going to do nothing but good! Have a look at both links offered here so that you can get a good understanding of everything they are loosing – there is a lot to go over so be sure to have some time on your hands!
A new trust seal backed by WordPress Hosts aims to set the standard for Ethical Hosting
(https://www.therepository.email/a-new-trust-seal-backed-by-wordpress-hosts-aims-to-set-the-standard-for-ethical-hosting) – This is a new certification aimed at improving trust, transparency, and abuse prevention in the hosting industry, and some of the biggest players in the WordPress space are supporting this. There is a coalition of 24 companies, and this will be launched in February 2026. They plan to start certifying providers in August.
The stated goal: to establish a baseline standard for ethical hosting and provide a way for responsible providers to show they're doing more than the bare minimum.
For those hosting within the WordPress world, this could be great. We will have to take the wait and see approach and see what happens because I can see a few ways this could go badly – but I will just knock on wood and do my best to only think of the good possibilities I see coming from this.
New proposal aims to bring phased updates to WordPress.org plugins
(https://www.therepository.email/new-proposal-aims-to-bring-phased-updates-to-wordpress-org-plugins) – A new proposal to introduce phased plugin rollouts to the WordPress.org plugin directory has brought on some serious discussion on Trac. The feature proposed by co-founder Matt Mullenweg would allow plugin authors to gradually release updates to a subset of users before rolling them out to everyone, mirroring practices used in Apple's App Store and Google Play. The thought process is that this would allow for the final version to be more stable and reliable.
Could be great, might not work. The only way to find out is if people try it out.
For privacy and security, think twice before granting AI access to your personal data
(https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/19/for-privacy-and-security-think-twice-before-granting-ai-access-to-your-personal-data/) – This is a good article talking about the dangers on allowing a program that has to be lobotomized regularly to keep it under control access to your personal information. Not only do you need to worry about where this program may accidentally let your information slip because someone else asked for it, but there is also the worry about those who regularly lobotomize the programs themselves who can add your information into the data base and start making money off of it.
Best practice is to be as suspicious of offering up information to the AI's as you are of ‘free gifts if you just download this or that app'. Nothing is every truly free.
(Go visit WP Shout Comics OR Word Chronicles OR MonkeyUser.com for a fantastic brain break – my favourite today is this one!)
Some Extras – check out our Facebook or Twitter!
DHH reignites criticism of Matt Mullenweg: “He failed to realize what he was destroying”
(https://www.therepository.email/dhh-reignites-criticism-of-matt-mullenweg-he-failed-to-realize-what-he-was-destroying)
WordPress Plugin Review Team renames itself the “Plugins Team”
(https://www.therepository.email/wordpress-plugin-review-team-renames-itself-the-plugins-team)
WordPress credits program launches with University of Pisa students
(https://www.therepository.email/wordpress-credits-program-launches-with-university-of-pisa-students)
Matt Mullenweg says WP Engine fight came after “a lot of community feedback”
(https://www.therepository.email/matt-mullenweg-says-wp-engine-fight-came-after-a-lot-of-community-feedback)
Gutenberg – AI building blocks, WordCamp US, WordPress 6.9 planning, Block Developer Cookbook – weekend edition 334
(https://gutenbergtimes.com/ai-building-blocks-wordcamp-us-wordpress-6-9-planning-block-developer-cookbook-weekend-edition-334/)
Top SEO considerations when rebuilding a website
(https://theadminbar.com/seo-weekly/top-seo-considerations-when-rebuilding-a-website/)
How to create a referral program to grow your client base
(https://theadminbar.com/how-to-create-a-referral-program-to-grow-your-client-base/)
How to make ‘read more' links accessible (without sacrificing design)
(https://theadminbar.com/how-to-make-read-more-links-accessible-without-sacrificing-design/)
Rogue's Corner News and Extras
Be sure to go and check out the new and unique plugins now available from WPProAtoz.com!
WordPress Items:
New drama around WP Migrate; seems they changed their ULA and lifetime license no longer honoured
https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/all-in-one-wp-migration/reviews/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Wordpress/comments/1luyvi6/lifetime_banned_for_a_legitimate_review_of_wp_all/
Matt suggests admin refresh and something Ao for WP6.9
https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/30/automattic-says-it-will-start-contributing-to-wordpress-again-after-pause/
Matt suggests the fight with WPE was community centered many disagree
https://x.com/Dan0sz/status/1943245440339849229
https://www.therepository.email/matt-mullenweg-says-wp-engine-fight-came-after-a-lot-of-community-feedback
Security Stuff:
Debunking WordPress Security Myths: What Developers Often Miss
https://deliciousbrains.com/debunking-wordpress-security-myths-what-developers-often-miss/
Gravity forms hacked
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wordpress-gravity-forms-developer-hacked-to-push-backdoored-plugins/
Educational:
A great plugin that I am forking for improvements
https://github.com/Ahkonsu/wpproatoz-llms-txt-for-wp
Tip of the day
Talk about https://influencewp.com/ and the benefits of it for WP devs
Check out The Repo at https://therepo.org/ an alternative to the regular plugin repo.
Dragon Rating Time with John!
John's Plugin
WP Bulk Delete
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-bulk-delete/
The Lowdown:
WP Bulk Delete is a powerful WordPress plugin designed to help you delete posts, pages, comments, users, taxonomy terms, and meta fields in bulk with flexible filters and conditions. It helps in managing unnecessary data, improving website performance, and reducing database load.
posts delete, delete all, mass delete, delete posts, delete comments, delete users, delete meta, delete taxonomy, delete revision, wp clean, clean trash, bulk user delete, clean spam, delete with condition, delete with filter, remove
Rating 5 Dragons
WordPress Tips
We would love to hear some tid bit tips from some of our producers out there – what did you figure out by breaking something? Or what did you need to learn in order to help someone? You can send these tid bits into me at amber@wppro.ca
My tip to you today…
Ever had one of those weeks (or couple of week runs) where you just can't focus? No matter what you do, you go to get a project done and find that you have been staring at the blank screen for over an hour. You go to complete an errand and realize you just auto drove home in your company car – or worse, you get to where you are going and have completely forgotten why you are there and have to go back to work and back again.
We all have them, and you are not ‘failing' by having one or two of those weeks. Especially during those months that most people are on holidays! Months like summer and Christmas.
My tip to you is to work on the things that are not your usual work, but still need to get done. Things like research, courses, etc. Pick an idea you had a while back and see if you can make it happen!
By doing these things, you are pulling away from the work you are feeling burnt out on, but you are still being productive for your work overall.
Now if you want to get fancy, you can also turn it into a real life video game! Likely most people with ADHD have either heard or or tried this already and likely found that it does actually work! Especially if you have the patience to set up a points system where once you get X amount of points, you get to go get a treat, or go do something fun.
Falling into the 1-2 weeks of inability to concentrate is normal, so don't beat yourself up for it – give yourself points and go get a treat instead!
Dragon Rating Time with Amber!
Amber's Plugin
Share A Draft – Improved
https://web321.co/our-plugins/share-a-draft-improved/
The Lowdown:
This is a super useful plugin I found on Web321's list of useful plugins! Designed to streamline your work when working with a large group, or with Editors, you can pick and choose who to share a draft post with so that your Editor/other team members have the ability to check out your work BEFORE you press ‘Publish'!
When you download and activate this plugin, you will see nothing – so don't be alarmed! Where you will find this plugin is under ‘Posts' at the bottom of the little drop down list.
Click on ‘Share a Draft', and here you will see your list of ‘Currently shared drafts' which will start with ‘No shared drafts!' in the listing area.
Then you will see ‘Share a Draft' with a dropdown option list; clicking on this brings up all of your Draft posts. Choose one by hovering your mouse so it highlights, and click!
Below this you will see that you have an option on how long to share this for. The auto setting is 2 weeks, although you can choose between Minutes, Hours, Days, or Weeks.
For the number, I put in ridiculous numbers, and it crashed the plugin each time. You just get a pop up saying that there has been a critical error – it seems that 3 numbers is where the plugin is happiest though, so keep your time allotment within 3 numbers.
Once you have chosen how long you want the draft to be accessible for, click on ‘Share it', and you will see your draft appear with with a link and some other information.
The other information is the ID, the Title, how long until the link expires, and there is also an ‘Actions' label. Here you can choose between ‘Extend' and ‘Delete', so you can choose to extend the link action for a period of time, or you can choose to delete the link entirely.
When you click on ‘Extend', you will see the same sort of setup for time allotment pop up. you write in the number, choose between the Minutes, Hours, Days, or Weeks, and click on ‘Extend' – and that is it!
Be aware that if your site is not yet live and/or is hidden behind a wall due to building or something else, people will have to be logged in to see the draft. If your site is live and moving right a long like an old steam train engine though, you are good to go and no one who you send this link to will have to have a login to see the draft!
This plugin is very easy to use, works very well, and will make life so much better when working with a team and/or editors! Also, it's totally free to use!
Rating: 5 Dragon
Miscellaneous Announcements from all:
Have an announcement like a meetup, or to announce you'll be on stage at a WordCamp? Let us know and we will add it here and help get your news out to the world!
WP Build Tour Bhopal, M.P. – June 6 – August 31
WordPress Campus Connect Cartago – July 4 – September 13
WordPress Campus Connect Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines – July 25
WordCamp Nicaragua 2025 – July 26
Summer Photo Contest 2025 – August 1 – 13
To see the entire list you can follow the link here in the show notes, then click on ‘More WordCamps' right below the list of the next 5. https://central.wordcamp.org/
If you are interested in finding a WordPress Meetup somewhere around the world you can go check out the places here: https://www.meetup.com/pro/wordpress/
Keep checking back every week to find out what else is going on!
Donations from across the galaxy!
Producership Credits are a thing that do actually exist – we offer them up to those who donate through Time, Talent or Treasure. You can use these credits to boost up your resume, add to your LinkedIn file, so on and so forth!
Even if you are not interested in receiving a Producership Credit, check out how you can use us as your own stepping ladder in the world of the internets – get yourself an interview, get us to make your announcement for you, let the world know you have something to say or a company worth checking out!
Have a look through our site wppluginsatoz.com. Check out the Time, Talent and Treasure pages.
Today's Plugins we covered were:
John’s Plugin:
WP Bulk Delete By Xylus Themes
- Database Deletion
- Post and Comment Deletion
- Users and WooCommerce Users Deletion
Rating: 5 Dragons
Amber's Plugin:
Share A Draft – Improved by WEB321
- Easy and Secure Sharing
- Full control over access
- No logins required – your reviewers don't need a WordPress account.
Rating: 5 Dragon
How to reach us:
Feel like sending us something through the snail mail system? You can do that thanks to our brick and mortar address that we provide for you!
You can also reach us the more common way of the internets – have both of our internets available down below for ya!
WP Plugins A to Z
C/O John Overall
20-754 E Fairview Rd.
Victoria, BC V9A 5T9
Canada
John:
- My website: http://www.johnoverall.com/
- WordPress Emergency Support: http://wppro.ca/wpemergency
- email: john@wppro.ca
Amber:
- email: amber@wppro.ca
Q & A Time with Amber – Catch this info on our YouTube Channel
If you have questions you would like to have asked on the show, send them in to me at Amber@WPPro.ca – we may never stump my dad, but we can get some good conversation out of him at least!
- What advice do you have for those entering into this industry today?
- What do you think is going to be the hardest thing to overcome for people new to this industry in today's world?
Questions asked after closing credits:
- Do you think the algorithm that people live in online affect the answers we receive when we go researching?
- Do you think that the AI's people are beginning to rely on are affecting the information they are able to reach online? After all, each AI is different and they don't all pull from the same places.
