What's new in the WP world? The major update to WordPress 5.3 is in the starting blocks, the theme review team discusses preferred themes, a new approach to mixed content errors in Chrome and we take a look at how green WordPress actually is. We also take a critical look at WordPress Page Builder and have some tips for self-employment.
Page Builder - curse or blessing for the WordPress world?
It's hard to imagine the WordPress universe without page builders. In the feature arms race of WordPress theme providers, the use of a page builder is almost considered an absolute standard. WP freelancer Pascal Prohl is ambivalent about the use of such little helpers: "As part of my work, I've not only been able to put some of the best-known page builders through their paces, but I've also had to solve a few problems for customers in this regard." Read more
Is there a sustainable internet? How "green" is WordPress?
Hardly any online company can currently avoid the topic of sustainability. We at Raidboxes have also been dealing with green hosting and sustainable business management from the very beginning. Because "the Internet", WordPress and the hosting of (WordPress) websites consume a lot of energy. How green can the web be? And are sustainable approaches authentic? We provide an overview of the current debate.
Becoming self-employed: The path to your own business in 5 phases
The path to self-employment is not as complicated as most people think. Firstly, you need to know what business idea you want to get started with and secondly, what steps you need to take. If you are thinking about setting up your own online business: Sven Scheuerle shows you what he considers to be the five most important phases on the road to self-employment.
WordPress
WordPress 5.3 coming in November
The next major update to WordPress 5.3 is approaching. This week, the second release candidate has been released. The core team is calling for you to test the new WP version (but not on your live site!). If you have found a bug, you can report it in the support forum. The release of WP 5.3 is planned for November 12, 2019.
Which themes are listed under "Featured"?
Which themes are allowed to be listed under "Featured" on WordPress.org has been a point of discussion for some time. As the old system was increasingly exploited for commercial interests, randomly selected themes have been displayed there for some time. You can read here to what extent the Theme Review Team wants to change the selection in the future.
Business
Sustainability: What can companies do?
More and more freelancers and agencies want to work sustainably. But what does that actually mean? And which measures are best suited? Stephie Keilholz and Philipp Stakenborg from the agency Das Gute Ruft revealed their corporate philosophy and practical tips for greater sustainability to us in an interview.
How the fines for GDPR violations are calculated
In an article on Facebook, lawyer Dr. Thomas Schwenke explains the concept of fines for violations of the GDPR, which the German data protection supervisory authorities published in mid-October. You can also view the data protection conference's concept for fines here.
Security
Chrome will block mixed content
Google has announced that Chrome will completely block mixed content in future. This means that the browser will no longer load resources on HTTPS pages that are only available via HTTP. You can read the exact schedule for the changeover in the Google Security Blog.
Images: tim-mossholder, Becca Lavin [Unsplash], Burst, startup-stock-photos [pexels]