Hi <<First Name>>—
Happy Saturday! Here we go!
On Paid Sabbaticals
With layoffs in the news recently and also in light of my burnout last year, I've been thinking more and more about paid sabbaticals as a company benefit and an essential to take care of our workforce. I've seen a couple of jobs that include them .... and huge kudos to Automattic who has had paid sabbaticals for a long time.
If your career is like driving on an interstate .... a sabbatical can be a much-needed off-road adventure, or simply time to pull over, shut off the car, get out of the car, and sit on the hood and reflect on your career and life direction, giving you perspective, recharge and overdue pause. It has for me.
So when you are interviewing for your next job, ask about paid sabbaticals.
The Sabbatical Project has a quiz and resources to help you plan and prepare.
And by the way, founders and owners, this is for you too. Find your pause button. You'll be better for it. Your team and family too.
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BUSINESS #club, #business, #marketing
Admin Bar's WP Professional Survey Results
Kyle Van Deusen of The Admin Bar surveyed 667 WordPress professionals from more than 50 countries who participated in a comprehensive survey in February of 2023:
- 77% of the participants ran their agency as a full-time job and 23% as a side hustle.
- 68% reported positive feelings about WordPress' current state, 28% reported being neutral, and 4% reported feeling negative about it.
- 65% reported that their businesses were growing, 31% said they were stagnant, and 4% said they were declining.
The State of Tech Talent Acquisition 2023
General Assembly recently released its highly anticipated report, "The State of Tech Talent Acquisition 2023," which provides insights into the future of hiring in the technology industry. The information is based on interviews with industry experts and data from surveys of over 1,000 hiring managers and recruiters. Among the key findings are predictions that remote work will continue to be a significant trend, with many companies adopting hybrid models that allow for in-person and remote work. Additionally, there will likely be an increased focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in hiring practices and a growing demand for candidates with skills in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning. The report offers valuable insights for companies looking to stay ahead of the curve in tech talent acquisition, making it a must-read for HR professionals and business leaders. Read→
Pantheon Hosting Layoffs?
Multiple former Pantheon employees were laid off this week; reports suggest marketing was the most affected. At the time of publishing, news articles have yet to be written about the layoffs. If you've been laid off or have a friend who has, check out Michelle's Resources here and see her column below.
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AGENCY #agency-owners, #gigs
Web Agency Summit April 25-28
Atarim's annual Web Agency Summit is scheduled for April with 40+ sessions all geared towards growing your business. Hang out with sponsors in their virtual festival village tents to win prizes, join breakout rooms and make new friends, and invest in yourself to make 2023 the best year in for your business! Join Post Status in the VIP Tent for conversations. Listen →
Post Status Agency Showcase
If you'd like to be considered for the Agency Showcase Beta work we're doing, let us know here. And be sure to join the Agency Owners channel in Slack as I'm working to keep our conversations and community going for how we can cooperate together.
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PRODUCT #wp-product-leaders
Agency + Profitable Product with Brandon Dove
Brandon Dove, co-founder of Pixel Jar, joins Cory Miller to discuss their WordPress plugin, AdSanity Plugin. They dive into the nuance of advertising, evaluate the benefits of free and paid plugins, and talk through the challenges and opportunities available to agencies that invest in product development while providing other services. Listen →
Finalizing Version 1 of Crop Express
In Session 9 of Launching a WP Product in Public, Corey and I talk about finalizing Crop Express for version 1 and moving on to another product path we found along the way, racapping some of the lessons we've learned so far. Watch→
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CURATED BY  CORY MILLER & TEAM. Have business news to share? Get in touch.
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TECH #development, #design, #ecommerce, #security, #hosting, #learntogether
6.2 Live Video Demo
Anne McCarthy and Rich Tabor (moderated by Nathan Wrigley) gave a video demo on WordPress.tv about the WordPress 6.2 release. Watch
State of WordPress Security In 2022
Patchstack released a retrospective whitepaper on 2022 and the state of WordPress Security. A must read!
Pattern Manager Beta
WP Engine is looking for people to test their new Pattern Manager tool. This will help people who use WordPress build and manage designs in the WordPress block editor. It has a particular area for this, so people can make, change, copy, and delete patterns without leaving the regular WordPress experience.WP Engine is looking for people to test their new Pattern Manager tool. This will help people who use WordPress build and manage designs in the WordPress block editor. It has a particular area for this, so people can make, change, copy, and delete patterns without leaving the regular WordPress experience.
How AI Technology Will Transform Design
Gleb Kuznetsov wrote a post on Smashing Magazine about how Ai will transform design:
- AI-generated art is becoming increasingly popular and can potentially cut down on design work time.
- Designers should be aware of their limits when using AI tools, as they cannot control the outcome of their artwork.
- AI tools will not wholly replace human creativity but instead give designers a boost in productivity.
- There is still a risk of homogenized designs, but this is as true for human designs today as it will be for AI-generated designs in the future.
- Using AI tools could lead to legal troubles, which may become more evident as AI art becomes more commonplace.
Bonus: Addy Osmani wrote a 528-page book all about web image optimization.
CURATED BY  MIKE DEMO. Have tech news to share? Get in touch.
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POST STATUS SPONSOR
Pagely
 Top-Tier Managed WordPress hosting solutions for Enterprise, the Public Sector, and Media companies. We invented Managed WordPress and we never stopped raising the bar. Expect Extraordinary!
Check them out →
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COMMUNITY #introductions, #self-promotion, #booknook, #events
Community and Layoffs
“Layoffs.” The word sparks fear in the tech community. From Stripe to Twitter to our own ecosystem, the recession hasn't been friendly to tech employees. Having been laid off in a past career (higher education), I know first-hand how awful it feels, and how it can affect your mental health, self worth, and ability to make ends meet.
Even if you're not the ones laid off, there's still fear, myriad emotions, and “survivor's guilt” for still being in your role. Everyone is affected.
This week we created a post full of resources for those affected by layoffs. If you've recently been laid of, please DM Michelle or Post Status on Twitter for a complimentary Post Status membership, or contact us on our site. We're in your corner.
In the Spotlight
Post Status professional member Leo Gopal is in the spotlight this week. Leo is a Codeable Expert Community Advocate, one of the WordPress.org Community Team Reps for 2023, and a fierce advocate for mental wellness in tech.
Join Us on Meetup
Join the Post Status meetup here and then RSVP for the meetups that best meet your needs (one, two, or all three). March’s meetups are posted:
Quick Links:
CURATED BY  MICHELLE FRECHETTE. Have community news to share? Get in touch.
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MAKE WORDPRESS
WP 6.2 RC1 • Demo Replay • Beginning WP Dev Curriculum
WordPress 6.2 Beta 5 is out now, and RC1 will ship on Thursday, March 9. We're just a few weeks away from the final release on March 28. Have you been able to start testing yet? Read the latest from the DevNotes in our WordPress 6.2 section.
A proposed learning pathway for beginning WordPress developers has been proposed. Weigh in with your feedback.
CURATED BY COURTNEY ROBERTSON. Have Make WP news to share? Get in touch.
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◼ POST STATUS JOB BOARD
Business Members can Submit Your Jobs Here.
Project Manager — The Events Calendar
WordPress Developer — KadenceWP
Content Marketing Specialist — StellarWP
Marketing Generalist — StellarWP
Project Manager — The Events Calendar
Technical Content Writer — WP White Security
Freelance Writer — Newsletter Glue
Part-time support specialist — Newsletter Glue
Web Developer (3/4 time) — Equalize Digital
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A big thank you to our Supporters
Without our Supporters (and long-time members), Post Status wouldn’t be a feasible business. These great companies have continued to support us and work for you:
Pagely — supported us from the beginning
Gravity Forms — supported us from the beginning
A2 Hosting — first-year partner
Elementor — first-year sponsor
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