The Month in WordPress – March 2022

We hope that you and your beloved ones are staying safe during these difficult times. If you’re looking for a way to help support the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, a list of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) was shared earlier last month in the 26th episode of WP Briefing, Matt Mullenweg on Ukraine, Community, and WordPress.

In parallel to the work the community is doing in preparation for the next major release, WordPress 6.0, March has seen the launch of some exciting new projects and proposals. Read on to find out more about the latest updates and how to get involved.

The Pattern Directory is open for public submissions

The WordPress Pattern Creator is live! This new tool allows anyone with a WordPress.org user account to build, edit and submit their best block patterns to the Pattern Directory.

If you’ve used patterns in WordPress, you’ll know that they make it easy to add unique layouts to your website, such as galleries, call-to-action sections, testimonials, pricing tables, and more. Opening the directory to public submissions enables any WordPress user to enjoy a wider variety of patterns to customize and use on their sites.

WordPress 6.0 Walkthrough scheduled for today, April 5

A few updates to the WordPress 6.0 planning were published last month. In case you missed them, today (April 5) at 15:00 UTC there is a live and interactive WordPress 6.0 walkthrough hosted by contributors of the release squad.

The event will take place via Zoom and include a discussion on the new features, potential blockers, and a Q&A session with the community. Attendance is open to anyone who wants to know more about what’s coming in WordPress 6.0.

Gutenberg releases: Versions 12.8 and 12.9 are here

Versions 12.8 and 12.9 of the Gutenberg plugin were released last month and with them, some new exciting features and updates.

• Gutenberg 12.8 includes a new Webfonts API, iterative UX enhancements, and bug fixes to increase the editor’s stability.
• Gutenberg 12.9 introduces the new block locking UI, support for spacing between Gallery images, and many other improvements that give you more control over what is editable and presented to users.

Team updates: Team Reps for the Photo Directory team, community proposals, and more

• WordPress 5.9.2 is available for download. This security and maintenance release features one bug fix in addition to 3 security fixes.
• The Team Representatives for the Make Photo Directory team for 2022 have been announced. Congrats to Marcus Burnette (@mdburnette), Katie Richards (@katiejrichards), and Topher DeRosia (@topher1kenobe)!
• The Community team considered revisiting the existing guidelines for in-person regional WordCamps. Conclusions and next steps will be shared soon.
• On a similar note, Cate DeRosia (@mysweetcate) is looking for ideas on how the Community team can support organizers who are trying to restart in-person events in their communities. Share yours by April 13, 2022.
• The Training team published new lesson plans, workshops, and social learning spaces on Learn WordPress. Check out what’s new in March 2022.
• How has WordPress helped grow your story? The Make Marketing team wants to hear about your experience!
• The Performance Lab plugin, a set of modules that aim to improve performance in WordPress, was released last month.
• Openverse released new updates in March, including a redesigned content reporting flow and new image detail pages.
• WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy posted a public statement on the removal of the Zamir plugin a few weeks ago.
• The March 2022 editions of the Meetup Organizer Newsletter and the Polyglots Monthly Newsletter were published.
• The latest edition of People of WordPress features the contributor story of the Argentinian web developer and product manager Juanfra Aldasoro.
• WordPress community members launched the Museum of Block Art (MOBA), a new initiative that seeks to inspire creativity and push the limits around what can be done with WordPress. All of the art curated in this virtual museum is built using the block editor.

Testing requests: WebP feature, template for author pages

• The Performance Team has published a proposal to integrate the WebP image format by default into WordPress core. Your feedback on this feature is appreciated.
• Version 19.6 of WordPress for iOS is available for testing.

The first flagship in-person WordCamp Asia is looking for organizers

• After two years since the WordCamp Asia organizing team announced that the first flagship WordCamp Asia was canceled due to the pandemic, they are back together and looking for more members to join them in planning the event tentatively scheduled for February 2023.
• The Call for Speakers for WordCamp US 2022 is now open. You can submit your application by April 17, 2022.
• Three in-person WordCamps are happening this month:
  • WordCamp Genève, Switzerland on April 9, 2022
  • WordCamp Athens, Greece on April 9-10, 2022
  • WordCamp Vienna, Austria on April 23-24, 2022
• Check out the latest episodes of WordPress Briefing with Josepha Haden:
  • Coming to a WordCamp Near You: A Return to In-Person WP Events
  • Is WordPress Made for Me?

Have a story that we could include in the next ‘Month in WordPress’ post? Let us know by filling out this form.

The following folks contributed to this Month in WordPress: @rmartinezduque, @mysweetcate, @anjanavasan.