Notes from the WordPress General Meetup, Thursday April 13, 2023.

News and Updates

WordCamp Phoenix Live Streams are not yet cut but the full streams are available on our YouTube channel.

Upcoming WordCamps and Events

• WordPress 20th Anniversary Social & Party celebrated in Phoenix in late May, more concrete details coming soon!
• WordCamp US
• Other international WordCamps

Community survey will show up in your inbox over the next few weeks, please let us know what you think and help us improve our Phoenix meetups!

Introductions

We’ve got eleven total folks in the building! Eleven! Join us next time if you want all our security codes and personal information!

Presentation

An informal discussion with Carol Stambaugh and David Ryan focused on tools they love to help them do their WordPress jobs.

Tool Number One: krisp.ai

Krisp.ai is an AI assistant which listens to your Zoom (or related) meetings and generates automatic transcripts. You can ask it to generate summaries or action items from the content of the meeting.

It is currently in beta.

Question: How does it work with people who have a thick or heavy accent?
Answer: We’re not sure.

David’s experience with technologies like krisp is that transcription is stronger with clear American English due to the fact that many of these tools are trained on American English.

Tool Number Two: fireflies.ai

Fireflies.ai is another note taking AI similar to Krisp.

Tool Number Three: ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a chat AI which can be used in a limitless number of ways. For example, you could ask ChatGPT how to create a WordPress blog post with a cover block and it will provide you with simple, human-readable step-by-step instructions on how to do that.

It does an incredibly good job.

Other examples we discussed were asking it to write songs in the style of Neil Diamond, write code snippets, and more.

Bertha.ai is a WordPress plugin that will connect you to ChatGPT from within the WordPress admin panel.

Tool Number Four: Jasper.ai

Jasper.ai is an AI writing assistant which has various templates such as blog post outlines, blog post topic ideas, meta data titles and descriptions for SEO.

Tool Number Five: Magai

Magai is an AI tool very similar to Jasper.ai but it is much less expensive.

If you don’t already know how to word prompts and communicate with AI tools Jasper.ai may be a better option as it’s more user-friendly to a beginner.

Intermission

We were not off topic but we did distract ourselves for a while playing with Magai, writing haikus and generally goofing off.

A brief discussion about the ethics and legal issues associated with use of AIs

Be careful folks. Using output from AIs and calling it your own may be a good way to get yourself into trouble.

It may be best to use AI output as a starting point in favor of a final product.

Additionally you should be careful what you put into an AI as well. See the recent Samsung “trade secret” leak.

Tool Number Six: DALL-E

DALL-E is an AI art generator which generates images and pictures from your prompts or input.

BONUS: Dave asked ChatGPT for 10 tips for WordPress beginners in 2023

Here are the top ten tips for beginner-level WordPress users in 2023:

1. Choose the right hosting and domain: Select a reputable hosting provider that specializes in WordPress hosting, such as SiteGround, Bluehost, or Kinsta. Consider factors like uptime, loading speed, customer support, and pricing plans. Also, pick a suitable domain name that reflects your website’s purpose.
2. Use a responsive and customizable theme: Pick a WordPress theme that is responsive (mobile-friendly), easy to customize, and compatible with major page builders. Themes like Astra, GeneratePress, and OceanWP are popular choices for beginners.
3. Familiarize yourself with the Gutenberg Editor: The Gutenberg Editor (or Block Editor) is WordPress’s default content editor. Spend time learning how to use different blocks, arrange layouts, and customize styles to create engaging content.
4. Install essential plugins: Extend the functionality of your WordPress site with useful plugins. Some essentials include Yoast SEO (for search engine optimization), Wordfence Security (for security), WP Rocket (for caching and speed optimization), and Akismet (for spam protection).
5. Optimize images for web: Use tools like TinyPNG, ShortPixel, or the Imagify plugin to compress and optimize images before uploading them to your site. This will improve loading times and overall website performance.
6. Use a page builder: If you’re not comfortable with coding, consider using a page builder like Elementor, Beaver Builder, or Divi to design custom pages and layouts with a drag-and-drop interface.
7. Regularly back up your site: Install a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus, BlogVault, or BackupBuddy to schedule regular backups of your site. This will help protect your data and enable easy recovery in case of unexpected issues.
8. Keep your site updated: Regularly update your WordPress core, theme, and plugins to ensure optimal security and performance. Additionally, follow WordPress news and community blogs to stay informed about the latest features and best practices.
9. Implement basic SEO practices: Use an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or All in One SEO to optimize your content and website settings. Additionally, research keywords, write high-quality content, and create descriptive permalinks and page titles.
10. Join the WordPress community: Participate in online forums, Facebook groups, and local WordPress meetups to learn from others, stay updated on best practices, and seek help when needed.

Other Software & Resources We Mentioned or Discussed

• ImageOptim: An image compression app for Mac.
• WordPress.tv: Videos of presentations from WordCamps and WordPress events.
• ArizonaWP.org: Our local Phoenix WordPress community website.
• WordPress Resources, Tools, Tips & Tricks for 2023: A list of tools

AI Meeting Notes Generated by Krisp.ai

• WordPress is celebrating its 20th anniversary this May and runs 44% of the internet.
• The Arizona WordPress group holds several meetups a month, including a general meetup, an advanced developer meetup, and a Divy meetup.
• The group is sending out a community survey to get feedback on topics, locations, and what is working well in the group.
• There are upcoming Wordcamps in Europe, Maryland, and Phoenix with videos available on Youtube.
• The group has a Slack channel for members to connect virtually between meetups and take notes.
• Organizers Carol, Dave, Dennis, and Ricklan discussed why they come to the meetups – relationships, friendships, giving back to the community, learning something new, and serving members.
• Planning Meetups: We discussed the importance of planning meetups in advance and how we can plan for a three sixty site review, roundtable discussion, and invite speakers to present.
• AI Tools: We discussed the use of AI tools to help save time, such as Krisp AI for transcription and Fireflies AI for writing stories. We also discussed the limitations of AI tools with accents.
• Chat GPT: Chat GPT is a platform that provides users with AI-generated instructions and content. It can be used for free or with a Plus account, and it is becoming increasingly popular due to its ability to generate content quickly and accurately.
• Magi vs Jasper: Magi and Jasper are two AI-based platforms that can be used to generate content. Magi is more affordable at $9/month, while Jasper is more user-friendly for new AI users. Both platforms offer features such as meta title and description generation, content improvement, and reading level adjustment.
• Plagiarism: Plagiarism checkers have existed for a long time and can give false positives. It is important to apply your own brain to the content generated by AI services and make sure it is original work.
• Legal Risks: When using AI, it is important to be aware of legal risks such as plagiarism, copyright infringement, and passing on legal risk to customers. Detection tools can help determine if content was generated by AI, but they are not perfect.
• Be cautious of what you put into AI: Anything shared with Chat GPT is retained and used to further train the model, so be careful not to share sensitive information.
• Don’t underestimate AI: It can do more than you think and boundaries are quickly changing, so don’t assume you know the limits of AI.
• Image Compression: Optimizing images for web delivery can reduce the size of an image by up to 70% without reducing the resolution, improving page speed and search engine discoverability.
• Page Builders: Consider using a page builder like Elementer, Beaver Builder or Divi to design custom pages and layouts with a drag and drop visual interface.
• Backups: Regularly back up your site to prevent data loss and consider using Updraft Plus to link backups to cloud storage services like Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive.
• Updates: Keeping your site updated is important for security and performance, but be judicious when choosing plugins and themes as older software may not be compatible with updates.
• SEO: Use AI tools like Chat GPT to help optimize content for SEO keywords and join the WordPress community by attending events like WordCamps or watching videos on WordPress TV.
• Joining the Slack Group: To join the Slack group, users must create a free account and be aware of the 10,000 message limit.
• Website Changes: The website is being rebuilt and a blog post will be published with an exhaustive list of helpful resources, tools, and events related to web development. It is important to pick the best fit for each user’s needs and not install all of them.
• News & Sources: Following news and listening to podcasts are great ways to stay up-to-date on web development topics.
• Meeting Recap: At the end of the meeting, participants were encouraged to look for notes on Slack about how to insert something into an image.