Welcome to Press This, the WordPress group podcast from WMR. Each episode choices guests from around the group and discussions of a very powerful issues going thru WordPress developers. The following is a transcription of the unique recording.
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David Vogelpohl: Hello everyone and welcome to Press This, the WordPress group podcast on WMR. This is your host, David Vogelpohl. I supported the WordPress group via my serve as at WP Engine, and I favored to ship the best of the group to you proper right here each and every week on Press This. As a reminder, you’ll have the ability to follow me on Twitter @wpdavidv, you’ll have the ability to subscribe to Press This on Crimson Circle, iTunes, Spotify, or download the latest episodes at wmr.fm.
In this episode, we’re gonna be talking about me, David Vogelpohl, pronouncing farewell as host of Press This, welcoming a brand spanking new host, and the start of a brand spanking new adventure for me.
For over 260 episodes I’ve interviewed a lot of guests from around the WordPress group about the latest trends in WordPress, attention-grabbing duties, folks in the community had been working on and a a lot of file of optimizations, hacks, and the way to make WordPress internet sites upper.
It’s been an absolute honor to be throughout the host seat a majority of these years. I wish to thank our guests who taught me this sort of lot. I wish to thank our audience, who used to be as soon as merely as curious as I was after I asked the entire ones questions.
In this episode, we’re going to turn the tables and interview me—about my concepts spherical stepping down as host, new adventures in my career, my favorite recollections website hosting Press This, and what I’m fascinated with for the road ahead.
And now for the rest of the interview with me, I’d like to thank and welcome a prior customer of Press This, a bellwether throughout the WordPress group, and your brand new host for Press This, the one, the only Record In taste. Record, welcome, and congratulations in your new host serve as.
Record Pop: Smartly, thank you this sort of lot, David. You realize, I’ve at all times most popular being on this show, as part of the Word Around the Campfire segments that you just did once a month, and it’s a big honor to have the same opinion keep the show going and keep alive the customized that you just’ve had going for goodbye. Thank you this sort of lot.
DV: Yeah, in truth. It used to be as soon as so amusing to have you ever ever at the ones Word Around the Campfire episodes, and I know you’re so well-connected throughout the WordPress house, and have a chronic background in broadcasting and podcasting and video casting.
So I’m actually excited to have you ever ever throughout the host seat, and I’m actually excited to respond to your interview questions this present day, Record. I’m actually curious how this is gonna transfer, alternatively I’ll step once more from the host mic for a minute and do identical to the Wayne’s world, get into the new modality. In point of fact taking a look forward to the interview Record.
DP:Smartly, , David, each and every episode you’ve asked other folks how they got into WordPress, and I don’t know should you’ve shared your starting story, so why don’t you tell us about how you got into WordPress?
DV: I will have mentioned it on an episode or two, alternatively I don’t know if I’ve actually suggested it in reasonably additional component. Alternatively, I was getting into customer posting, I had been in digital promoting and advertising and marketing for a while, and I wanted to begin out making additional of a name for myself. So, I gave the impression for publications that I would possibly customer publish for, and I found out one. It used to be as soon as a top 10 digital promoting and advertising and marketing internet web page at the time, it used to be as soon as referred to as Promoting and advertising and marketing Pilgrim. It didn’t live on the 20-plus years since I did that. It used to be as soon as presented, I believe, and rolled into every other internet web page.
And I did a customer publish, and I was exposed to WordPress for the principle time. I had had experience with Drupal and Joomla, alternatively it used to be as soon as in reality writing a content material subject matter piece for Promoting and advertising and marketing Pilgrim. The person who owned that internet web page’s determine is Andy Beal, and Andy’s a dear pal, and that used to be as soon as a get began of a grand adventure in reality, in each and every WordPress and in digital promoting and advertising and marketing.
DP: Wow. In order that you started off with customer posting, which is an element I’m in reality actually thinking about studying additional about. We’ll have to speak about that off the show, most likely, but when did you return to WP Engine and what have you ever ever been doing in all places your time proper right here?
DV: Smartly, WP Engine. In 2010, I started a digital corporate. WordPress used to be as soon as a point of interest, alternatively no longer the only focal point, and this used to be as soon as correct around the time that custom designed publish varieties and custom designed fields had been added into WordPress core.
I met a partner of WP Engine’s founder. So WP Engine’s founder is a person named Jason Cohen and he had a partner at the time, they’re nevertheless friends, most likely partners on other problems. I don’t know. His determine is Josh Baer, and he’s associated with an organization in Austin referred to as Capital Manufacturing facility.
I met Josh at a meetup. And I didn’t keep up a correspondence to any individual at the meetup, Record. I was, I don’t know, it merely wasn’t in me that evening time, and forward of I left, I was like, I want to keep up a correspondence to a minimum of one shopper. I changed into spherical, and it used to be as soon as Josh Baer, and I talked to Josh, we got to roughly conversing about our backgrounds, and he’s like, “ who you need to satisfy, is Jason Cohen.” And he offered me to Jason and WP Engine used to be a consumer of my corporate, and we serviced WP Engine as their outsource, web and digital promoting and advertising and marketing arm, if you’ll, for a couple of years,
In the end in 2015, I in reality joined WP Engine’s control staff at once. So about 12 years since I’ve joined, alternatively that’s the backstory about turning into a member of.
DP: I’ve to say, meeting Jason Cohen early on in your career, that seems no longer merely fortuitous in your career, alternatively he’s this sort of charming shopper to talk to, and once more then his belief into WordPress and the kind of longer term of WordPress should were fascinating. I’m merely roughly curious what had been the vibes Jason used to be as soon as giving once more then? Did he realize it can also be, , almost about 50% of the Internet by the use of 2020?
DV: It used to be as soon as somewhat fashionable at the time. I believe for me, custom designed publish varieties and fields are actually what changed into WordPress proper right into a CMS. So I’d say at the moment, that actually wasn’t what it used to be as soon as. I’ve been in my digital career, about twenty years, this used to be as soon as regarding the midpoint in my career, after I met Jason.
The principle meeting used to be as soon as at the WP Engine office, which used to be as soon as shared with a lot of other very early level startups—I believe there would possibly were 3 employees at WP Engine at the time. It used to be as soon as on the eighth floor of the Omni Resort business puts of labor in Austin, Texas, and I rolled up there.
And I get out, they usually’ve all of the eighth floor, and it’s part of Capital Idea, and yet again, that’s why there’s the ones other startups in there, alternatively it used to be as soon as maximum repeatedly empty. And there used to be as soon as very similar to one part of all of the floor where everybody used to be as soon as working spherical all this used furniture, and all of the lighting had been off. And I be mindful thinking about, are the lighting off because of they’re all engineers or because of they are able to’t afford to pay the light bill? And, it in reality used to be as soon as the latter. I’m sorry. The former, no longer the latter.
DP: Whoa! [laughter]
DV: Smartly yeah, it used to be as soon as the former. They simply, they appreciated it dark, alternatively , I don’t suppose they actually knew what it may well be these days. I suggest, it used to be as soon as fashionable, Jason had finished a little research and, and a couple of posts on LinkedIn roughly proposing the speculation of WP Engine, and a lot of folks had been getting behind it.
So I believe they knew there used to be as soon as something there, alternatively it needless to say wasn’t 43% of the web. I wanna say it used to be as soon as virtually indisputably closer to 12, a few 365 days or two later, it used to be as soon as spherical 16% of the web, if I recall. A minimum of that’s what Matt Mullenweg suggested me at WordCamp Atlanta at the time. People weren’t even actually tracking all of the share of the web broadly. So, no, I don’t suppose they foresaw what would happen with WordPress or WP Engine, even supposing I first got involved.
DP: Smartly yeah, I know you’ve spotted some stuff. At WP Engine, you might be able to’ve spotted the growth in employees, you might be able to’ve spotted the expansion of WordCamps internationally and , the expansion of WordPress in market share. In order that you’ve finished some exciting problems prior to now at WP Engine, what are one of the provide duties that you just’ve been working on?
DV: Smartly, I’ve had a lot of roles over the years, , the whole lot from working with our labs staff, major StudioPress after the acquisition of Studio,Press. And the serve as I’ve this present day, or, or should I say forward of I left WP Engine, used to be as soon as VP of Growth, and what my teams fascinated by had been strategic programs that allowed WP Engine to expand in new and topic subject matter techniques.
This spanned our international presence, our brand customers, our corporate customers and partners. It used to be as soon as providing make stronger for things like Flywheel Expansion Suite, for those who are unfamiliar, it’s a platform for corporations that allows them to power MRR in their business and easily prepare their shopper’s internet sites. Our eCommerce providing, which is, for my part, in a majority of these years, one of the most innovative varieties of eCommerce website hosting available in the market, if no longer the best, and then a lot of other strategic programs from our company spouse program, to our art work in Atlas, and so it’s been an incredibly enriching journey. I’ve been very blessed, if you’ll, to have such a great staff. Alternatively that used to be as soon as my serve as at WP engine, used to be as soon as VP of Growth
DP: Exciting stuff, you’ve spotted some incredible stuff throughout the WordPress group all the way through the closing 12 years. We’re going to take a ruin, and when we come once more, we’ll keep up a correspondence to David Vogelpohl about what his longer term is going to be like in the community and after Press This. So stay tuned.
DP: Welcome once more to Press This the WordPress group podcast on WMR Radio. My determine is Record and I’m talking to David Vogelpohl, the former host of Press This about his time throughout the WordPress group and coping with Press This, and coping with WP Engine. David, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about a couple of of your favorite recollections to this point, what’s the longer term for you? What are you going to be doing after Press This?
DV: Smartly, I’m needless to say satisfied to say that I received’t be leaving the WordPress group. There’s in reality some vital connections to the WordPress world in my new serve as, alternatively the serve as that I’ll be transferring into is Chief Promoting and advertising and marketing Officer of a company referred to as FastSpring.
FastSpring is a rate platform for software companies, they’ve a few WordPress product customers which can also be in their universe, they most often serve as off of what’s referred to as the Carrier supplier of Document taste, which basically method you’ll have the ability to use the software rate platform to advertise your software, your SaaS, and no longer have to clutter with any of the product sales or once more tax stuff, you basically get a wire transfer once a month in your proceeds. Alternatively that’s effectively what FastSpring is, and I’ll be the Chief Promoting and advertising and marketing Officer of that company.
DP: Wow, a C-suite, that’s sweet, that’s a sweet gig. So, you mentioned that you just’re no longer leaving the WordPress group. What’s FastSpring’s connection to WordPress?
DV: Smartly, as I mentioned, it’s a rate platform for software companies and in reality has WordPress product companies which can also be customers of theirs. For many who look on their homepage, you’ll see, Rank Math as a purchaser. There are others no longer on their homepage, and it used to be as soon as actually attention-grabbing, , as I was eager about this change, and of course throughout the WP Engine universe, my whole world is WordPress, and so throughout the new serve as, it’ll be broader than just WordPress.
Alternatively I was at WordCamp US in San Diego, and of course, I was letting friends know and other folks I knew from spherical one of the simplest ways, and it used to be as soon as so that encouraging and relieving, frankly, to pay attention to love, “oh yeah, I’ve heard of them,” or, “we use them to advertise in Italy,” and , “we used them prior to now.”
So, that familiarity there, I believe the WordPress product house is crucial purchaser base for FastSpring and I believe that’ll give me a number of choices to continue my involvement in make stronger of the group. I don’t know in the event you’ll have the ability to actually, actually walk transparent of WordPress, I suppose every other other folks do, alternatively it’s been such an enriching group to be part of. I believe, as I was exploring, , the next step in my career to get into that C-suite if you’ll, it used to be as soon as essential for me to care for those connections and care for that value. I believe I get from contributing to the group.
DP: I’m merely roughly wondering, do you suppose you’ll be doing a podcast collection over at FastSpring?
DV: I’ve considered it. I believe they do have a podcast if I’m no longer incorrect. What I will say is that I’ve had many rewarding tales at WP Engine and I believe Press This is method, method, method best on that file. And, , I believe when folks podcast, they often call to mind, oh, the objective target audience I’ll assemble and the problems I’ll expand because of I’m doing it. And I believe those parts are great, alternatively the segment that used to be as soon as most dear for me used to be as soon as learning something new each and every single week from different folks. It used to be as soon as merely such a great part of the experience.
And when you art work in an corporate for goodbye, and then you definitely roughly get out of it and transfer into, , inside an emblem, you’ll have the ability to get separated from that world. Alternatively I felt like I on no account did because of I had this opportunity to do the podcast.
So yeah, I believe I virtually indisputably will do something like this one day there, alternatively I don’t have any concrete plans at the moment.
DP: What’s going to you permit out one of the about working with WP Engine?
DV: Which may be an excessively tough question to respond to, , there’s this sort of lot regarding the company that I found out valuable.
I believe the growth and open provide puzzles I got to get to the bottom of had been extraordinarily enlightening. I felt like I spotted such a lot about technology, about business, and virtually indisputably above all control. I believe in the ones moments what the general public say and it’s because it’s true, I suppose in the general public’s roles, most likely, most likely no longer, is the oldsters, the caliber of folks, the intensity all the way through which they care, their smarts and above all, their heart, is actually, actually something specific.
And. I believe for folks outdoor of the company that may come via to some extent, obviously being inside, you’ll have the ability to actually actually really feel it. Alternatively I believe there are folks outdoor the company who actually actually really feel it in the case of WP Engine’s, customers and partners, and, I know Record, , this, alternatively WP Engine in truth has a choice of Core Values and it’s things like Do the Right kind Issue and Built for Growth and Devoted to Give Once more.
And WP Engine actually lives that, the oldsters proper right here actually are living that, and will make alternatives in keeping with those Core Values. The combination of smarts and hearts and willpower to values is hard to go looking out, and I believe that part is what makes the oldsters of WP Engine specific, along with you Record.
DP: Even me, I’ve to agree. The Core Values are something I’ve at all times been impressed with, working with the company, merely how so much they stick to it. And the control from Heather needless to say presentations that internally. And I can’t say it externally, if folks reasonably see how attached we’re to those values, , that we speak about, on a weekly basis, in all places our meetings.
And then in truth Jason’s control is just at all times very inspiring to his vision, has at all times been great. So yeah, I wonder if externally, folks actually roughly get the identical vibe we do, because it’s magical to look proper right here. I haven’t worked at a company like this forward of.
DV: I was merely gonna say, and I’m taking a look forward to, , roughly taking those classes into my next issue, and it’s, it used to be as soon as this kind of specific time for me with the entire ones folks. Alternatively yeah, it’s a big part of what I’ll pass over.
DP: I I’m wondering moreover, should you suppose you’ll be doing as so much traveling and going to WordCamps and stuff along with your new serve as.
DV: Yeah. I believe what I’ll perhaps after all finally end up doing is doing each each and every WordCamp US and WordCamp Europe each 365 days, or most likely one or the other.
I don’t suppose I’ll be capable to do as many satellite tv for pc television for laptop WordCamps as I’ve prior to now, and satellite tv for pc television for laptop’s most likely the mistaken word to use, alternatively, , city-specific WordCamps. I merely had such a great time at WordCamp US, alternatively there are business reasons for us to be targeted there. because of yet again, there’s a lot of SMB software companies throughout the WordPress house, believe it or no longer with 43% of the web.
So there’s that commercial pastime as correctly, alternatively a lot of my friends, a superb majority of my personal friends now, no longer merely folks I know at art work, are throughout the WordPress house, and I’ve finished this in each and every group I’ve ever joined, I’ve lengthy long past all in and I nevertheless have lifelong friends from communities I’m no longer actually an lively part of anymore. And that’s good enough, alternatively to in reality have topic subject matter business reasons to be there, it used to be as soon as unbelievable. Did you’ve got a good time at WordCamp US, Record?
DP: I had fun at WordCamp US, as , it used to be as soon as capped at 650 attendees, which is most likely a third of what it used to be as soon as forward of the pandemic.
And that used to be as soon as virtually indisputably out of caution of having a look to ease once more into doing in-person meetups, alternatively it actually gave it a very intimate actually really feel. I actually like that. You felt like you wish to have to in reality catch up with folks. If there’s someone you’ve got been on the lookout for, you’ll to find them.
It jogged my memory of WordCamp San Francisco, a couple of years once more, where it did actually really feel like the ones had been the oldsters you wanted to satisfy. And there used to be as soon as most simple about 600 or 700 of them there. And you wish to have to hang out with them and in addition you weren’t roughly preventing to go looking out someone or preventing to get someone’s time. It jogged my memory of the early days, for me, of going to WordCamps.
DV: Oh, that’s cool. I soaked up each and every minute of it. For many who follow me on Twitter at WP David V from around the WordCamp US 2022 time period, you’ll see a picture I tweeted from Daniel. It used to be as soon as very similar to this large smile on my face and I was merely soaking up each and every minute of it. It used to be as soon as this kind of specific experience.
DP: Smartly, we’re going to take every other ruin. We’re speaking to David Vogelpohl, the former host of Press This, and when we come once more from this ruin, we’re gonna speak about his favorite tales proper right here at Press This, so stay tuned.
DP: You’re being attentive to Press This, the WordPress group podcast on WMR. I’m Dr. In taste, the new host of Press This, talking to David Vogelpohl, the person who started the Press This podcast, and who’s moving without delay to a brand spanking new career at a FastSpring since the CMO. David, what are a couple of of your favorite tales of website hosting the Press This podcast?
DV: Smartly, I believe the first thing that stood out to me is Record, I in reality didn’t create Press This. Press This used to be as soon as to start with created by the use of Joost de Valk of the Yoast search engine marketing plugin, and I’d say indisputably one in all my favorite tales or recollections website hosting Press This used to be as soon as those early days. For those acutely aware of WMR, Brasco had talked to me about it and I knew Joost hosted the show. I in reality had listened to it prior to now. And I know Joost from spherical one of the simplest ways, he’s in reality been once more on the show with me as host again and again, and I talked to him about it and got his viewpoint. He used to be as soon as very supportive. I suggest, it’s a WMR show, alternatively that used to be as soon as great, and he used to be as soon as in reality one of the most the most important early guests.
I had on no account podcasted forward of, I had finished public speaking and things like that. So I believe it used to be as soon as amusing to roughly learn how to decide it out. And I’ve a beautiful busy job, so I had to, , determine techniques to art work it in and get it finished each and every week, and that used to be as soon as an adventure. Alternatively I believe one thing that actually, actually stands out as a favorite experience is paying attention to the entire ones starting stories and paying attention to the trends in them.
There’s a surprising choice of musicians in WordPress, and just about each and every starting story, Record, used to be as soon as like, “I was at the back of my band’s van between shows, making the website for our band, and then I made it upper.”
That used to be as soon as a theme that emerged, a lot of problems emerged, of other folks which were leaving jobs they didn’t like, and careers they didn’t like to reinvent themselves and to begin out a business, there used to be as soon as a lot of that. A lot of out of place souls who found out WordPress along one of the simplest ways.
I believe other problems that emerged that actually stood out had been how WordPress carried out a job in folks coming from a low technology background, all of the method up to being a device engineer, and the best way folks become involved merely to make a website for their soccer staff or something. And then, , low and behold, 5 years later, they’re writing custom designed plugins and doing wonderfully attention-grabbing problems.
And so, I would possibly virtually indisputably make a selection a few guests. Mary Jo used to be as soon as a really perfect customer. I actually, actually love the interview with Meryl Evans spherical captions and accessibility. I actually love the interview, no longer too long ago, with Jason Cohen and Brad from Delicious Brains around the acquisition of Scrumptious Brains.
That used to be as soon as a actually amusing one. There’s merely been such a large amount of of them over the years. I believe like I’ve met everybody in WordPress because of this podcast. If any individual listening is considering making a podcast, if no one ever listens to it, and all you do is keep up a correspondence to someone new in your house once each week. It’s correctly indisputably definitely worth the effort.
I don’t know the way it’s 260 episodes in, I virtually indisputably have too many to share throughout the house of time now we have Record, alternatively those had been probably the most ones that actually stood out.
DP: Smartly, I’m taking notes proper right here at the ones superb guests so I can ask them to go back once more. I’m taking a look forward to having a couple of of that experience too, of learning from the guests and, , spotlighting new other folks and easily getting roughly the ones intimate questions.
I’m roughly an inept shopper in precise life, so the chance with the intention to keep up a correspondence to folks in a format like this, in truth, is thrilling for me. I’m super excited. What would you say as your roughly final words for the Press This audience? What do you need to say to the listeners now?
DV: Smartly, I suppose forward of I do additional of a goodbye, most likely what I’ll do is commentary reasonably bit on you as host, Record, and I believe over the ones years website hosting Press This, I mentioned it earlier, I’ve, , a beautiful busy job. Not that you just don’t, alternatively I’m merely pronouncing I had to roughly serve as the show in a very consistent building. And I believe folks, in a large method, answer indisputably to that. Alternatively I believe, , you ship this sort of lot creativity for your art work Record, you’re so connected, and I believe, there’s obviously others at WP Engine and previous, that can have other attention-grabbing questions to ask guests and other stories to ship. And so I’m actually taking a look forward to that creativity you ship into the whole lot you do, Record, and what the have an effect on that may have on Press This.
As far as a definite message for the objective target audience, I suppose, as I switch from host to listener. I’ve been at digital for twenty years. I’ve been involved in virtually indisputably 3 number one segments of the technology group, WordPress being the most recent, and, , 12 years, most recent.
We art work in a actually, actually, actually cool house. I know inside the second one when you’re knee deep in duties and attempting to decide the next downside or puzzle, or something’s getting you down, what we do is amusing. It’s cool. It’s specific. And it beats busting rocks, correct? It beats probably the most roles we could have had prior to now, it provides choice to others.
And I believe revel in it, savor it. It’s something specific. It’s something worth savoring and collaborating in, and I’m very happy that the new company I’m going to, their .com is a WordPress internet web page. So it’s no longer merely the consumer connections, alternatively I’m very happy to have that connection there. Alternatively merely in most cases, it’s such an relaxing and enriching group, and no longer merely WordPress, alternatively I believe digital and technology generally, and we’re all very, very lucky with the intention to art work on these kind of puzzles in these kind of techniques and profit from these kind of choices. So, lean in and revel in this time because it’s very very specific.
DP: David, how can folks be in contact with you and follow what you’re doing publish Press This?
DV: Oh, correctly, keep an eye fixed mounted out for me at longer term WordCamps, in truth, as I mentioned forward of. Indubitably seek for me on LinkedIn and then if you want to drop me a follow or a tweet on Twitter, you’ll have the ability to to search out me at, at WP David V.
DP: Awesome. Smartly, David, once yet again, it’s an honor being part of this show with you. I’ve at all times gave the impression forward to these chats that we do. They’ve been indisputably one in all my favorite problems to do with the company, is the Press This episodes that I’ve joined you and Anthony Burchell with reasonably eternally, so thanks yet again for doing what you’ve finished proper right here and, I need you excellent fortune in your new job, as CMO at FastSpring.
And with that, I wish to thank the listeners for tuning into Press This, the WordPress group podcast on WMR. Bear in mind, you’ll have the ability to follow my adventures throughout the WordPress house over at the Torque. Torque is a newsletter about WordPress data and events.
You’ll moreover subscribe to Press This on Crimson Circle, iTunes, Spotify, or download the latest episodes at wmr.fm. It’s moreover available on Torque mag dot I O. That’s a lot of links for you, alternatively we’ll provide those throughout the show notes for you.
I’m Dr. In taste, the new host of Press This. I’m excited to get to know additional other folks via proper right here and know the listeners. I make stronger the WordPress group via my serve as at WP Engine, and I love to concentrate on folks of the WordPress group, like David, and a number of others each and every week proper right here on Press This.
The publish Press This: David Vogelpohl Says Farewell As Host and Begins New Adventures gave the impression first on Torque.
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