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WordPress Web Help November Meetup, Mon. Nov. 10, 2025, 6pm PST

WordPress Web Help November Meetup, Mon. Nov. 10, 2025, 6pm PST

Need WordPress help? Join our November 10th Meetup at 6 PM PST for open Q&A, news, and real-world discussions with the WordPress community. Free on Zoom — all experience levels welcome. (Read more…)

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Meet Widget: The Robot with a Past

Meet Widget: The Robot with a Past

Once a forgotten purple robot from a 1987 electronics catalog, Widget’s been upgraded with AI and a new mission: helping small businesses learn how to use technology more effectively. Meet Brass Ring Web Design’s newest (and quirkiest) team member — a robot with a past and a purpose….(Read on…)

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Why Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg Went To War Over WordPress

Why Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg Went To War Over WordPress

WordPress is free… but mess with the name, and you’ll hear from Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress. The Automattic CEO is cracking down on trademark misuse, sparking outrage, support, and a whole lot of confusion. Is this about protecting the community—or tightening control? The Verge uncovers the story behind the brand battle that’s rocking the WordPress world….(Read on…)

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How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting in 2025 (Compared)

How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting in 2025 (Compared)

With over two decades of WordPress experience, I’ve built everything from high school projects to high-traffic business websites. I’ve personally tested countless hosting providers and seen firsthand how speed, security, and support can make or break a site. That’s why I created this comprehensive WordPress hosting guide—to help you find the best option for your needs.
(Read on…)

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Brass Ring Joins the REC Innovation Lab Startup Team!

Brass Ring Joins the REC Innovation Lab Startup Team!

Exciting news from Brass Ring! I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve joined the REC Innovation Lab (Regional Entrepreneur Center) as a web design and digital marketing mentor and coach. In this new role, I’ll be working with the student entrepreneurs of this dynamic startup incubator to help them present themselves effectively online…

The REC Innovation Lab is much more than just an incubator. It’s a thriving community that fosters collaboration ..(Read on…)

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Tumblr Is Moving to WordPress

Tumblr Is Moving to WordPress

Automattic, the company behind WordPress and Tumblr’s owner, said it is moving the microblogging platform over to WordPress.

Verizon Media sold Tumblr to Automattic in 2019, with Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg describing the microblogging platform as “on-ramp” to his company’s other products.

“I’m excited about that on-ramp as well as to bring a younger demographic and young people into WordPress,” Mullenweg said in 2023. (Read on…)

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The Clock is Ticking on Website Accessibility for Public Entities; Others Entities are on Notice

The Clock is Ticking on Website Accessibility for Public Entities; Others Entities are on Notice

Given the explosion of website accessibility lawsuits in recent years, as a practical matter, the best defense is going to be mooting the claims. That means having processes in place by the Compliance Date to regularly detect and promptly correct WCAG 2.1, Level AA nonconformance and the ability to quickly show that any issue identified in a lawsuit… (Read more…)

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U.S. Bans Noncompete Agreements For Nearly All Jobs

U.S. Bans Noncompete Agreements For Nearly All Jobs

The Federal Trade Commission narrowly voted Tuesday to ban nearly all noncompetes, employment agreements that typically prevent workers from joining competing businesses or launching ones of their own…

…noncompetes are vital to companies, by allowing them to better guard trade secrets, and employees, by giving employers greater incentive to invest in workforce training and development. (Read on…)

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WordPress Web Help Group Hits 1000 Member Milestone!

WordPress Web Help Group Hits 1000 Member Milestone!

Whether you’re just starting out with WordPress or consider yourself a seasoned pro, don’t hesitate to join us and contribute to the conversation.

Well…we’ve hit a pretty significant milestone. The WordPress Web Help Meetup Group just hit 1000 members! I want to thank all who’ve joined over the years and especially the core group of members who show up to answer questions and help those further back on the learning curve to get up to speed with this truly cool marketing platform. (Read on…)

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New Mass Gmail Rejections To Start April 2024, Google Says

New Mass Gmail Rejections To Start April 2024, Google Says

Starting in April, senders of unwanted mass emails to Gmail users will begin to see message rejections increasing unless they abide by new Gmail email sender guidelines, Google warns.

New Rules For Sending Mass Email To Gmail Accounts
As an article I published on Forbes on last Tuesday made clear, new rules are coming into place to protect Gmail users from unwanted mass emails. At the time, it was reported that some… (Read on…)

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Why You Shouldn’t Schedule Meetings Longer than One Hour

Why You Shouldn’t Schedule Meetings Longer than One Hour

People have a hard time attending meetings that are longer than one hour.

Maybe it’s today’s ADD. Or perhaps, it’s just that any meeting that long is a waste of many people’s time.

Either way, there is almost no reason to schedule a meeting for over 60 minutes.

If you do, you’re scheduling more time than is necessary or productive. (Read on…)

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How AI-Powered Features Are Revolutionizing Marketing Automation Platforms

How AI-Powered Features Are Revolutionizing Marketing Automation Platforms

New artificial intelligence functions for MAPs can do everything from generating personalized content to optimizing campaigns.

Like much marketing technology, many marketing automation platforms (MAPs) are being enhanced with new AI-powered features.

One reason for this is the need to improve personalization and drive it to all parts of marketing. A recent survey shows 73% of respondents — both consumers and business buyers — expect companies to…(Read on…)

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How To Make New Year’s Financial Resolutions That Stick

How To Make New Year’s Financial Resolutions That Stick

Improving finances is a common resolution for the New Year. In 2023, 53% of Americans who set resolutions wanted to prioritize getting their finances in order. While that figure has dropped to 38% for 2024, it is still the second-most popular resolution after improving fitness.

Unfortunately, most resolutions are abandoned before February rolls around. In fact, studies have found that only 9% of Americans who make resolutions actually complete them. (Read on…)

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Nick Diego on the Revamp of the WordPress Showcase Website

Nick Diego on the Revamp of the WordPress Showcase Website

The WordPress showcase is a curated collection of websites built with WordPress. Its purpose is to inspire, and show the breadth of what WordPress can achieve. Currently the showcase features around a hundred sites, including large enterprises like the New York Times and NASA. It aims to challenge misconceptions about WordPress, and highlight the …(Read on…)

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Google Launches Gemini, the AI model It Hopes Will Take Down GPT-4

Google Launches Gemini, the AI model It Hopes Will Take Down GPT-4

Gemini is Google’s latest large language model, which Pichai first teased at the I/O developer conference in June and is now launching to the public. To hear Pichai and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis describe it, it’s a huge leap forward in an AI model that will ultimately affect practically all of Google’s products. “One of the powerful things about this moment,” Pichai says, “is you can work on one underlying technology and… (Read on…)

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Debt Relief Guide: What To Know

Debt Relief Guide: What To Know

Key Takeaways:
Using a debt consolidation loan to combine your existing debt can help you streamline your monthly payments and save on interest.

Other debt relief strategies like debt settlement and bankruptcy should only be used as a last resort since they can cause serious harm to your credit profile.

A credit counselor can create a debt management plan for you (DMP) — this plan can help you pay off debt within… (Read on…)

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The Brass Ring Marketing System – SPECIAL OFFER!

Frustrated with your Website? Fails with D.I.Y. site builders? HERE’S THE ANSWER!
Great for DIY’ers! Not just a website, but a turn-key small business marketing solution.

Here’s The Thing: You Should Spend Your Time On Your Business, Not Struggling To Learn Web Design! (Read on…)

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Small Businesses File Brief Against California’s Unconstitutional Shutdowns

Small Businesses File Brief Against California’s Unconstitutional Shutdowns

FRESNO, Calif. (Nov. 8, 2023) – NFIB filed an amicus brief in the case Ghost Golf Inc. et al. v. Gavin Newsom at the California Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District. The case concerns Governor Newsom’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, the government shutdown of businesses ordered during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the separation of powers. (Read on…)

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Eye-Opening Video Marketing Statistics Every Business Owner Should Know

Eye-Opening Video Marketing Statistics Every Business Owner Should Know

What do the latest video marketing statistics tell you about growing your small business? The answers will surprise you. 92% of marketers say that videos are an important part of their marketing strategies, and 88% of them accept that videos offer them a positive return on investment (ROI).

If you want to use video content as a marketing tool, we have collected key video marketing statistics below to help you make informed decisions. (Read on…)

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Why NASA Chose WordPress for Revamping Its Flagship Website

Why NASA Chose WordPress for Revamping Its Flagship Website

NASA has removed the beta label from the new nasa.gov website, which was launched on WordPress, replacing Drupal as the CMS. After a lengthy process, which required 18 months of active web development, data migration, and content building, NASA has emerged with modernized flagship and science websites, showcasing the innovation and discoveries that have defined the agency for more than 65 years…(Read on…)

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Gutenberg 16.7 Introduces Font Management

Gutenberg 16.7 Introduces Font Management

Gutenberg 16.7 was released this week, packed with several features that are headlining the upcoming WordPress 6.4 release. This will be the last plugin release that will be rolled into the next version of WordPress.

Font management with the new font library is now available for testing in the plugin. These features standardize a way to add font collections to WordPress’ new font library… (Read on…)

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7 Habits To Live A Healthier Life, Inspired By The World’s Longest-Lived Communities

7 Habits To Live A Healthier Life, Inspired By The World's Longest-Lived Communities

Dan Buettner’s decades-long exploration of centenarians who thrive in the longest-lived communities on Earth is attracting lots of attention.

His new Netflix documentary, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, is trending as a top streaming pick…

Compared with Americans, people in Okinawa are about three times more likely to reach their 100th birthday, according to Buettner’s research. (Read on…)

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Does Web Accessibility Have a Positive Impact on SEO? | a Data-Driven Study

Does Web Accessibility Have a Positive Impact on SEO? | a Data-Driven Study

Many have asked the question: Does web accessibility positively impact SEO?

To date, there have been no conclusive answers.

So, to see what impact (if any) accessibility has on SEO, we created an independent study.

We discovered some intriguing answers along the way.

And now, we’re sharing our results. (Read on…)

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11 Free Courses and Learning Resources for Small Business Owners

11 Free Courses and Learning Resources for Small Business Owners

Big businesses have a wealth of expertise, and the ones on our Champions of Small Business list want to make their know-how available to you.

Key Takeaways
The 2023 Champions of Small Business is our first-annual list of big businesses that are helping entrepreneurs with grants, accelerators, and free resources.
Below find great learning resources and free online courses… (Read on…)

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17 Fixes For Why Your Website Isn’t Performing

17 Fixes For Why Your Website Isn't Performing

I’ve now taken the procedure I follow in reviewing sites and converted it into a tool…available free…to help small business owners to improve their online presence by diagnosing and fixing some of the most common website fails.

For some time now, I’ve been performing website audits for business clients in order to help them determine whether they’re getting full value from their website investment. (Read on…)

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How to Scale Your Small Business in 8 Steps

How to Scale Your Small Business in 8 Steps

There are always smaller competitors waiting to take your market share, and it’s only a matter of time before you transition from the hunter into the hunted. So you need to think of scaling not just in terms of company growth, but also as a way to build all the elements that make up your value proposition, so that you’re as competitive as possible.

In the choice between growth and scaling, one option isn’t better than the other. You have to decide what works (Read on…)

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Performant Translations Plugin Now Available on WordPress.org

Performant Translations Plugin Now Available on WordPress.org

After an in-depth performance analysis earlier this year revealed that translations can impact server response times, WordPress contributors proposed half a dozen technical solutions for consideration to improve performance for the ~56% of sites that use translations.

Performant Translations, a feature project by the core Performance Team, is now available as a plugin on WordPress.org. It incorporates some of the proposed solutions and speeds up translations by converting .mo files to .php files, allowing them to be parsed faster and stored in OPcache. (Read on…)

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WordPress Unveils Design for Upcoming Twenty Twenty-Four Default Theme

WordPress Unveils Design for Upcoming Twenty Twenty-Four Default Theme

WordPress 6.4 will be shipping with a new default theme, expected in early November. The theme’s project leaders unveiled the designs and concept for Twenty Twenty-Four in an announcement on WordPress.org today.

For those who have complained that past default themes have been too niche or too narrowly focused in design, this theme will take the reverse approach. Contributors are attempting to… (Read on…)

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