Adam Warner Talks About the Upcoming State of the Word

Bob: Hey, everyone. BobWP here. Live from New York City. No, I couldn’t help that. I just got that in my head. But yeah, I’m in New York. I’m off the train, finally. Thank God. It’s been crazy. I have my studio set up in my hotel room, which is odd inviting people here. But my very first guest, to kick it off, New York, is so special. Well, there’s a lot of reasons. And one is, he’s a good friend. Two, is that he’s a sponsor of this event. Three, is that he’s a cool guy. I could go on and on. Adam, how you doing?

Adam: I’m doing well, Bob. Thank you for that intro. I appreciate that. Being in your hotel room recording, is not weird at all. Yeah, we had a nice breakfast. And here we are, to talk about WordPress and State of the Word. And I’m just so thankful for you having me. And for those listening, the set-up that Bob has here, this remote board with the mics, is just super cool.

Bob: Yeah. It actually works even a little better. I figured, if it works in a little train room, it’ll work anywhere.

Adam: Absolutely. Yeah.

Bob: First of all, there may be a few out there, that might not know who you are, or are familiar with you. Just give us a short little thing of what you do at GoDaddy Pro.

Adam: Sure. Yeah. My name is Adam Warner. I found WordPress, the software and the project, in 2005, when I was looking for an easier, quicker way to update a website that I had built then. And I have been lucky enough to steer my career into using WordPress every day, through a series of mini, small steps.

Adam: So, today, I’m the Director of Field Marketing for GoDaddy Pro. And what that boils down to, is doing events and community work. And I have a team of five people that help me do that. And we’re all very deeply ingrained into the WordPress project and community as a whole. So, really, I’m living my best life. It really is truly a dream job, that I get to affect change for millions of people through the work that we do. And I’m just so happy to be part of the community.

Bob: Cool. Let’s talk New York a little bit.

Adam: Yeah.

Bob: Just because we’re here and you can’t help it. It’s got to not all be WordPress. I know what I’m doing for the next two days. I’ll be doing a lot of this. So, what are you going to be doing? Anything besides go to the State of the Word, and your little WordPress hobnobbing, and stuff? Are you going to be able to have a little bit of fun?

Adam: “WordPress hobnobbing.” I like that phrase. Yes. This is a very quick trip. I flew in yesterday afternoon. Today is the day to do something. Then, of course, tonight is State of the Word. And then tomorrow morning, I fly out early, because we’re closing on a house. I land two hours before the signing.

Adam: So, a little bit of anxiety about that. But today, I’m going to hang out with you here for a little while. And then I’m going to meet Josh Pollock. We’re going to walk through Central Park.

Bob: Cool.

Adam: I’ve been to New York a few times, maybe three or four, but I’ve never been to Central Park and enjoyed the beauty that it is. So, I’m looking forward to that. Just having a low-key day.

Bob: Yeah. I love Central Park. It’s been years, and years, and years. And there’s a few things I wish I could have taken the time to see. But not going to happen. And that’s cool, too. So, I’ll live through your pictures. I’ll be watching Twitter.

Adam: Yes. Follow me on Twitter at WPmodder. We’ll have lots of photos there.

Bob: Yeah. That’s what I’ll…

Adam: Rather than try and pack in all of the sites, I like to keep it easy. I’ve got enough to think about.

Bob: Yeah. Exactly. Well, let’s go with State of the Word. That’s why we’re here. And everybody’s had a little bit different perspective. I’ve had big podcasts on the train. And these may be coming out, when you’re listening to the State of the Word maybe over out and I don’t know if I’ll get everything set up today or not, but what I thought is actually cool about the ones before, is to listen to them afterwards and see what they were looking for, or what they hoped to be inspired by, or whatever, with State of the Word. So, I’m leaving it wide open. Is there something that you’re hoping to hear, or something you’re looking forward? Just what are your thoughts?

Adam: Yeah, I think, first and foremost, I’m just so happy that it’s an in-person. It’s a hybrid event, right? That we are able to be in-person, and commiserate, and visit friends, and make new friends as we can. But as far as the content, every State of the Word, I just really look forward to hearing where Matt’s head is at, in terms of where he envisions the project and the software going. And with all the hub-hub about Web3 coming up, and in the description of State of the Word, it was mentioned that Web3 and NFTs are going to be mentioned. I’m very curious to find out what that means, what his thoughts are in that, because I don’t necessarily understand all of Web3 NFTs.

Bob: I’m with you there. Oh, man.

Adam: Blockchain and all of that stuff. But I do know that there’s some opportunity there, as far as a decentralized internet. And if the mission is to democratize publishing, then there’s probably something there. So, I look forward to hearing more details about what that is. I’m hoping that Matt will mention the importance of accessibility in the web as a whole, but in WordPress and with the WordPress product creators, themes, and plugins. It seems like accessibility, it’s a topic that everybody knows about, everybody advocates for, but not a lot of people implement it in the WordPress space, right? There’s a handful of people that are constantly surfacing the issues there. And if we truly want to, as a WordPress community, as a web community, want to bring opportunities to every person in the world, then we definitely need to focus on accessibility.

Bob: Yeah.

Adam: So, I’m hoping there’s some mention there, which isn’t going to instantly change things. But if it comes from Matt, then it will affect change or help drive change, I think.

Adam: So, yeah. And then I’m looking forward to an update on the Gutenberg, the WordPress editor. I was there for the State of the Word, I think… Was it 2017 when he asked about Gutenberg?

Bob: Yeah.

Adam: And to see the feathers that it ruffled, and the backlash within the community at the time, but also the people saying, “Yes, this is the way forward.” And seeing how far it has come, to this block editor space. And not only that, but Gutenberg can be used outside of WordPress, as well. Let’s not forget that. And you’ll be seeing some interesting things from our side of things in 2022 in regard to that. So, I’m excited to see what the updates are.

Bob: Yeah. Now, I know, for me, this has been my first event since COVID. WordPress, this kind of an event, where it’s more the word… Is this the first one for you?

Adam: I went to one event in August, in Kansas City. It was the Digital Summit.

Bob: Okay.

Adam: And it was a pretty small crowd, maybe 100 people. And everyone was masked the entire time. So, it was very difficult to make new connections because I didn’t know anybody there.

Bob: Yeah.

Adam: So, usually, I’m floating around the hallways. “Hey, I’m Adam, and what do you do?” So, it was a bit different. But this is definitely the first WordPress with familiar faces.

Bob: Yeah. I went to Digital Summit a few years ago in Seattle and it was the same thing. I didn’t know anybody there. Maybe I ran into one or two people that were locals. But it was, certainly, different. And some of the presentations were interesting.

Adam: It was a different crowd there, but one I really enjoyed. It was a lot of people that worked within agencies. So, it was digital marketing agencies, which also included web development.

Bob: Yeah.

Adam: So, it was interesting.

Bob: Yeah.

Adam: One more thing about State of the Word I forgot to say. So, internally, at work, we’re very focused on WordPress, as many other people are. So, my team has organized a watch party.

Bob: Cool.

Adam: For all of GoDaddy, all up, everyone is invited. So, we’re going to watch together. And then we’ve opened up some discussion channels with people in the company, like myself, and my team, and others that are very into WordPress, and have been for a long time, that have that nuanced knowledge of the platform and the community. And the goal there, is to bring wider visibility to those people within the company, who, yes, they know what WordPress is and they know what we offer, but they don’t know what they don’t know about it. And so, this is a perfect opportunity to hear from one of the co-founders of WordPress, himself. And see where the platform and the community is headed.

Bob: Cool. So, the last question I want to ask is, what was your first thoughts… Well, I’ll preface this. They had a little get-together last night. There was, I don’t know, about 15 people, I think. Of course, we all pretty much knew each other and stuff. And I arrived just in time. Everybody was just getting started. But what was it like? When I walked in, it almost seemed a little surreal. It was like, “Am I really seeing these people?” What are those things, that they’re people, but they’re not real? Whatever they call it, because it was surreal. But then, for me, it was moments later, it felt like there was never that blip.

Adam: There was a moment of, when I first sat down. So, I met Angela Jin at the hotel lobby, because we happened to be staying at the same hotel. So, we walked over. So, we got to chat along the way. We both had our masks on the whole time, as we were walking. And then when I got to the restaurant, I took my mask off and I said, “Hi, how are you?” Because it was like a big reveal, right?

Bob: Yeah.

Adam: And then Aaron Campbell was the next person to show. And it was this feeling of, and I’ve traveled a lot with Aaron and he’s been at a lot of events in the past, and it was this moment of, it was surreal for a minute like, “Yes, we’re really all sitting here together.” And Michelle Frechette, when we were all at the table, she said a few words and welcomed everybody. And then she threw it to me. And I wasn’t expecting to say anything, but what I said, paraphrasing, is, “I’m going to keep this short,” because feelings, because I could already, and as I’m talking about it now, I get emotional. Just because it makes me so happy to be together.

Bob: Yeah.

Adam: But it did then, turn into like nothing ever happened.

Bob: Yeah. I know. That’s it. After a while, I was sitting there and it dawned on me again, where I’m at, what I’m doing, who these people are.

Bob: Yeah. Right. But yeah, it was a good time last night. And yeah, looking forward to tonight. So, yeah. We’ll wrap up. And I want you to get to Central Park. And I want everybody to know that it was recommended, that he get on the train, and do this, and he’s going to Uber it just like I would, because I don’t need any more stress in my life right now. I need-

Adam: Yeah. The thought of figuring out how to get a train ticket and get on a train might seem trivial to others. But for me, it’s just easier.

Bob: Yeah, I want somebody to just pull up, and smile at me, and open the door.

Adam: Exactly.

Bob: Okay. Well, before we go, I’m just going to mention our sponsors. Of course, GoDaddy Pro, which is cool, that I didn’t think I’d have the opportunity to actually do a podcast with any of my sponsors. And it’s turning out that two, for sure, and maybe three.

Adam: Yeah. That’s cool. Yeah.

Bob: And the odds of that. And Post Status, go check them out, become a business member.

Bob: You’ll be on top of WordPress. And then Cloudways, check them out for their WooCommerce hosting. And Mindsize, they just came out. Go check out their site, because they just came out with a new Woo maintenance plan. And I think they just kicked it out yesterday or the day before. So, there’s lots of new stuff there. And I might be talking a little bit more about that.

Bob: But in the meantime, Adam, I can’t believe we did this in person. It’s almost surreal in its own way, but I love it. And so glad you were able to carve in a little time.

Adam: Well, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. And I’ve been so enjoying the WooTrainClan journey. And it’s so cool that you’ve connected with so many people. And I’m just happy to be able to be a part of it.

Adam: So, one more thing, go.me/bobWP to learn more about GoDaddy Pro.

Bob: All right. Cool.

Adam: Sorry, I had to throw that in there.

Bob: Yeah. Cool. Yep. Perfect. All right, everyone. Yeah. Be talking to you soon and yeah, follow that hashtag, WooTrainClan. And you’ll see all the craziness. So, take care.

Adam: Bye, everybody.