WP Tavern’s 2021 Year in Review – WP Tavern
A buddy prompted me to repair a problem with the WP Tavern archives page just a few days in the past. Not all of 2021’s posts have been seen. As I glanced over the up to date listing, I spotted our group put in quite a lot of work for the yr.
Within the day-to-day mixture of issues, it’s straightforward to overlook how a lot you might have written throughout the yr. A number of the articles are memorable and persist with you for some time. A lot passes by in a blur. However, I felt a way of satisfaction within the work our group has put in as I scrolled via the posts.
These year-in-review posts are inclined to take about two days’ price of labor, gathering up the entire stats and notes and formatting them in order that they’re presentable. Nevertheless, they’re all the time certainly one of my favourite articles to place collectively yearly.
We should always all the time take a while to remind ourselves the place we have now been on this journey. This makes positive we’re higher knowledgeable earlier than taking our subsequent steps. On the Tavern, which means taking note of what content material individuals are studying and the way they’re partaking with it.
So, allow us to simply dive proper into a few of the 2021 highlights.
The Yr in WordPress
WordPress turned 18 years old in 2021. That could be a large feat for any software program, particularly a CMS that constantly faces competitors from newer internet applied sciences.
Not like final yr’s three, the platform solely noticed two main releases this yr. WordPress 5.9 was initially slated to land in early December, nevertheless it was postponed until January 25, 2022. This could give contributors extra time to clean out a number of wrinkles with new options.
The Gutenberg plugin was a constant drive, driving new options that will finally make their approach into core WordPress. We now have covered its releases all year long right here on the Tavern.
Matt Mullenweg recorded his annual State of the Word earlier than a reside viewers in New York Metropolis in mid-December. The deal with centered on WordPress’s development prior to now yr, a decentralized internet, and model 5.9 options. He additionally centered on contributing to the commons. He introduced Openverse, previously Artistic Commons Search, and famous the beta launch of the WordPress photo directory.
Favourite Plugin
Among the finest issues about writing for WP Tavern is protecting a range of new plugins yearly. Sadly, we can’t get to all of them. Nevertheless, there are all the time just a few initiatives that stand out within the crowded discipline.
Perhaps it was nostalgia for a bygone era of printed household newsletters. Maybe it’s only a neat concept, however my favourite plugin of the yr is Newsletter Glue.
It showcases how a small group can get a posh venture off the bottom by way of the block editor. Publication Glue is simply over a yr previous, and Lesley Sim and Ahmed Fouad have created a strong product.
Favourite Theme
This could come as no shock to Tavern readers. I’ve touted its well-rounded design and architecture on a number of events. Eksell by Anders Norén is my favourite theme of the yr. Twenty Twenty-Two could be an in depth second, nevertheless it has not formally launched but. Perhaps it can reign within the yr to return.
I’ve been looking out for a block theme to win this for all the yr, however none of them fairly lived as much as Eksell. Not even Noren’s personal try with Tove.
Eksell performs properly with blocks, supporting all present, steady developments in WordPress theming. It’s way more trendy than many different classic-supported themes. And, it’s simply lovely.
WP Tavern Stats
Over the previous couple of years, we have now elevated our content material output. Engagement by way of printed feedback is down, however “likes” proceed climbing. The next is a desk of the previous three years of stats. Observe that averages are per publish.
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete Posts | 443 | 406 | 382 |
| Complete Feedback | 3,151 | 3,699 | 2,864 |
| Avg. Feedback | 7.1 | 9.2 | 7.5 |
| Complete Likes | 4,508 | 3,589 | 2,676 |
| Avg. Likes | 10.2 | 9.0 | 7.0 |
| Complete Phrases | 324,842 | 317,231 | 225,117 |
| Avg. Phrases | 733 | 791 | 589 |
After all, we average feedback right here at WP Tavern. We might let issues run wild for a bump in commenting stats, however we need to proceed creating an atmosphere the place folks really feel welcome to take part.
I’m the champion of feedback this yr with a complete of 81. I’d nonetheless like to have interaction a bit extra. That’s one thing I’ll work on within the new yr.
Props to the 5 folks subsequent in line for complete feedback in 2021:
- Miroslav Glavić
- Eric Karkovack
- Andrew Starr
- Steven Gliebe
- Paul Lacey
With out you and different readers, there could be no Tavern. I hope to see extra of you all and others in 2022.
High 10 Most Considered Tales
Sarah Gooding just about single-handedly broke our all-time day by day views file in January, a file that had stood since 2015. It now stands at 24,887. I contributed a bit, however her protection of WordPress.com’s web site constructing service did the heavy lifting. And, it was not even the general most-viewed story of the yr.
The next are the articles Tavern readers considered probably the most in 2021:
You’ll assume that our most-read articles are those who obtain probably the most feedback. Nevertheless, that’s not all the time the case. Whereas there may be some crossover between the 2 lists, our readers typically have to be vocal on a selected matter.
Listed here are the highest 10 most-commented posts of 2021:
I sit up for one other yr of delivering tales to all of our readers. The Tavern employees will see you all in 2022 for the following steps on this journey.
