Matt sounds just as off the rails as WordPress. Keep fiddling. WordPress was better 10 years ago. One person could set it up, add content and have a working site. I was there, I made my own sites and fixed the odd glitch, myself solo, just me. Those days are long gone. Keep adding more clutter, more complicated balderdash... requiring more plugins, FSE that doesn't even make sense, and taking anything useful out of the core so it can be marketed. Good going. I changed from Movable Type to WP when it was new. I moved on from WP now and I won't be back. Its like watching Rome burn itself into the ground. It didn't need to happen.

This is my comment from Reddit - Continuing the trend: Matt Mullenweg Says “The Wheels Have Fallen Off” in Wide-Ranging WordPress Critique

Being a WordPress fan/ user/ seller forum, they might not leave it up very long. Most people in that forum are using WordPress to con people into thinking they can't put up and run their own site. They can't - with WordPress.

It's designed to break, to be over complicated, and make money for WordPress developers who can't develop anything outside of WordPress itself. There is a whole cosmos of WordPress professionals who will be out of a career if WordPress became as unpopular as it should be.

People who want a site up for themselves or a business do not know what a mess WordPress is versus almost any other CMS. If they knew how simple most other CMS's are, they would desert WP in masses over night. But, a lot of people are making a great deal of money selling WordPress. Predators and parasites - preying on people who think WordPress is the only answer and making their plugins and themes a necessity because WordPress can't even work with anything simple and do-able any more.

That may be a bit harsh, but essentially its true. If you're in doubt, dump WordPress, pick another CMS and find out for yourself. You can make and run your own website, if you stop using WordPress.

WordPress can't even find the rails at this point. I began using WP when it was new, earliest versions. It was pretty easy once you got the hang of the basics. Now... What a damn mess. I use Chyrp Lite for my own site now. It's not fancy, uses markdown, and is so easy to use its almost silly.

I can still make my own basic site with HTML but I can not even figure out where to start with a theme for/in WP now. Themes and plugins used to be good and actually WORK. Imagine that! Now they all have their hands out (I don't blame them for trying to make a buck, but at least offer something that is worth having).

I'm helping a non-profit update their site. Its a mess of extra images, pages leftover from plugins. Plugins that no one knows why they are there. But, they do not want to change from using WP because that's what they have been told to use. "Everyone" uses WordPress. But they don't really. They hire people, they buy plugins and themes and then pray it somehow works. Its not working. The site looks misshapen and broken. The original theme is long outdated and does not work well with WP as it is now. Plugins are like a nest of tangled snakes, so twisted that its hard to get them to work. They are on top of each other.

I loathe content blocks. Why does anyone need to add more useless code to a website? Especially code that only works to make WP more complicated. Why does anyone need all that junk? Does it make your site faster, no way. Does it make your site easier to create or maintain, no. ClassicPress is a fork from before the content blocks. It works without having to understand this FSE quagmire. You can type in your content, save it and be done. In WordPress I spend more time dealing with content blocks that do a really great job of blocking me from posting anything. Super frustrating for no reason.

If the general public weren't so sold on WordPress being a must have, I'm sure they would find it drastically easier to use almost anything else. Blogger/ blogspot is all but mothballed but is far easier to use and get a site up in a few minutes. Most businesses/ people do not need a complicated site with features they can't really understand. Anyway, good for you Matt and WP. You created a bloated monster, over due for a big crash.

I just had to re-login again to my bluesky accounts. I had cleaned my web browser of all cookies along with everything else. So everything I was logged into was logged out and needed to be logged in again.

Bluesky would not accept my password, which I knew was right. I had typed in the account as it appears on bluesky and then my password. It did not work. I tried resetting it. No good.

Then I tried logging in with the email address I used to set up the account, and the password. That worked.

So, for anyone who may find this post wandering around looking for login help with bluesky... now you know.

These are my accounts at bluesky if you would like to visit.

• @thatgrrl.bsky.social

• @asciiartist.bsky.social

• @herselfaq3d.bsky.social

• @merrysims.bsky.social

• paypal.me/laurabrownca

What is your blog about? How long have you been blogging? Why did you begin blogging? Is it the same reason that you continue to blog today? How has your blog changed over the time you’ve had it? In six words, sum up your blog.

My site (blog) is about me and my hobbies, interests, thoughts, ideas, rants, all of it. I began blogging, I'd rather call it publishing on the web/ Internet, in 1998, more or less. I don't have any posts older than 2000 now. I didn't think to keep them and I've changed PC's several times since then. Earlier PC's weren't huge on data storage. Also, I didn't have my own PC until later.

My sites are always changing. Too often to get a steady audience. I second guess myself a lot. It's not a good habit.

Six words? - Unapologetically Canadian. Bewitching Vagabond. Dragon Friendly.

Who is your target audience? How often, if at all, do you think about quitting or taking an extended break?

I have been burnt out. I was posting daily to my blog about writing online. I still have those posts, I'm migrating them to this site now. I know I should have a target audience. I don't. I'm not selling anything, this isn't a business. Its far from making a profit and I don't like marketing.

Do your friends and family read your blog? How does this knowledge affect your writing? Do you feel like you can totally be yourself on your blog? Where do you draw the line when it comes to disclosing too much about your life on your blog?

My family do not read my sites. As far as I know. I wouldn't mind if they did. I am almost completely myself when I write online, here or social media. I find people are far more likely to jump down your throat for minor things, or ridiculous misunderstandings which they create themselves. I've been hounded on social media for a comment I made. My comment was pulled all out of proportion. I've seen aggression online and experienced it too.

I used to be more careful about disclosing information online. Ironically, it is a bigger issue now and I'm less cautious. Originally, back in 1996, I wouldn't even give my real name. Or location. Now, we get so many services demanding our identity and information, just to login to a website, like Google, verification must have your phone number, email address, name, and whatever else they store on their servers about you. Later they get hacked and apologize, but they don't stop culling information.

9. Orphan pages. Memorize this: Every page in your site needs a readily seen link back to the home page. Why? Sometimes users will forward a URL to friends, who may visit and may want more information. But if the page they get is a dead end, forget it. Always put a link to “Home” on every page, and make your site logo (usually found near the top left side of the screen) link back to your home page--that will quickly solve this problem.

via The 10 Most Deadly Mistakes in Website Design | Entrepreneur.com

The rest of the points were pretty well known: disabling the back button, broken links, poor navigation, outdated information, slow site, pop ups/ new windows, and too many or clashing fonts, colours and styles.

About colours, fonts and styles - Make it readable! Contrasting, easy to read plain fonts. For a long time it was popular to have pretty looking pages in shades of light grey, beige, and so on. Pretty, but unreadable.

I would debate the point about having your name, address and so on. If you have a business you could include a business address, or mail box, whatever you choose to use.

Also, including social media links. I think they are better left at the bottom of your site, for people who have read something of your site. Otherwise, people will not read and just skip to the social media links as a short cut. Not really the order you want them to look at your site.

Years ago I wrote a column for the adult side of a site, BackWash. Its still around in archives online but stopped publishing long ago. It was mostly fun to write on the adult side. I wrote about myself and my experiences involved with men and BDSM.

My conclusion was, the main problem for women involved with BDSM is being over run by what men want. They say one thing, but don't really listen or really consider what she wants. For them, overall, it is a fetish. Whether they are dominant or submissive. That was my experience over a few years.

Anyway, I wandered away from the BDSM dating and ideals, later I stopped writing adult stories or columns, or ideas. Now and then I find something I would still like to write about. But, its off putting to write about adult topics along with everything else. The two don't mix so well.

But, today I found the site Chyrpe, an adult dating application based on the idea of female led relationships, also known as FemDom, Domme, and other words and phrases. I wonder how many of the women joining are professionals, likely almost all of them. That seems to be the only way it really works. There will be the very few who are not in a professional/ paid relationship.

They have a contact form for 'Ambassadors', a paying thing. I was interested because I have bills to pay, who doesn't. But, the form wants social media links with traffic/follower stats. I haven't had that for years. If that's how they choose Ambassadors, I'm not going to get anywhere with it.

Also, the whole thing about starting that up again. Yes, it could be fun, a lot of fun some days. But, it was also disappointing. Mostly because I was still honestly hoping to find someone (real) at that time. I never did. They were all fake, or fetish based, all about how they could serve me before even knowing (or asking) what I wanted. (I was sent dick pics before they even asked my name, just ASL and sometimes my measurements and weight) They were self serving and expecting me to perform a role. Wear the tight, shiny, skimpy clothes and a ton of make up and high heels. Well, that still isn't me.

I am still debating applying for the Ambassador thing. If I do, I can at least see what they are thinking the Ambassadors do. That would be interesting. So, I guess I will.

On a side note, I found my old link from the asstr.org site - shedragon