All of the recordings from the free WPBlockTalk virtual event are now available on WordPress.tv. In case you missed it, WPBlockTalk was a WordPress community event sponsored by Automattic, and produced by Brian Richards, creator of WPSessions. It took place earlier this month on April 2, though some of its momentum may have been lost in the torrent of pandemic news. Fortunately, all the sessions that were streamed that day have been uploaded for anyone to watch.
WPBlockTalk created moderate buzz on Twitter, but the caliber of the speakers and the density of their block editor expertise make these videos a must-watch for anyone involved in WordPress product and website development. Some of the speakers were involved in designing and building the block editor and others were early adopters who ran full speed ahead to create some of the most successful block-based plugins in the ecosystem.
The event kicked off with a session titled The Gutenberg Roadmap led by Matt Mullenweg and Matias Ventura. It included an overview of what is coming in the full-site editing project, along with an exciting hands-on demo that fully integrates theme templates into a unified interface. Ventura estimates this basic UI will be “in a very decent state in a couple months.”
The other 11 sessions that follow provide an interesting look at where the block editor has been and where we can expect it to go in the near future. Topics include extensibility, case studies, accessibility, block development, and more.
Although WPBlockTalk was originally announced on the WordPress.com News blog, the majority of the content featured in the event was geared towards those creating block-based products. More than 1,000 viewers attended WPBlockTalk, similar to the turnout for a large traditional WordCamp. These types of nimble, niche-focused virtual events were already gaining traction in 2019 and are likely to become more common in the wake of prolonged restrictions on large gatherings due to the coronavirus.
