ClassifAI Brings AI and Machine Learning Services to WordPress

Jake Goldman on June 18, 2019 • 1 Comment

ClassifAI Screen Example

Drive.ai uses artificial intelligence to create self-driving cars. OpenAI, a nonprofit research company backed by Elon Musk, created an artificial intelligence model called GPT2 that can generate text relevant to topic, tone, and feeling based on only a few words. Navigation services use artificial intelligence to decipher hundreds of thousands of data points to provide real-time traffic data.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are revolutionizing technology and when applied to digital publishing, the opportunities available to streamline internal workflows, enhance visitor experiences, and increase revenue are endless.

Artificial Intelligence vs. Machine Learning
AI is the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior. Machine learning is a subset of AI with the ability to modify itself when exposed to more data; i.e. machine learning is dynamic and does not require human intervention to make certain changes.

Search engines like Google rely on AI and machine learning to “understand” what your content and site are about and how it should be ranked. But have you ever wondered if search engines interpret your content the same way you do? Or have you ever considered how these cutting edge technologies could be used to improve your content strategy or reduce resources?

These are the questions we’re asking at 10up as we look to the future of publishing technology and explore practical solutions that streamline editorial processes, increase audience engagement, and boost profits—solutions like our new plugin ClassifAI.

ClassifAI is a free, open-source plugin that leverages leading cloud-based services like IBM Watson and Microsoft Azure AI to augment WordPress-powered websites with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technology.

With years of experience working with some of the largest digital content creators, 10up understands that AI and machine learning will play an important role in the future of content creation and website experiences and we’re committed to driving this technology forward in the WordPress community. Today we are excited to share merely the first steps for ClassifAI: automated content tagging and classification as well as the automatic creation of image ALT text.

Get Started With Gutenberg

Sarah James on June 12, 2019 • 2 Comments

Get Started with Gutenberg Books

I recently contributed an article to Get Started With Gutenberg, a free publication produced by Heart Internet. Jumpstart Your Gutenberg Designs With SketchPress provides a detailed tutorial on using SketchPress: a library of WordPress admin interfaces, symbols, and icons for use with the popular design toolkit, Sketch. With SketchPress designers can create high-fidelity mockups of custom blocks and other editorial interfaces for both Gutenberg and classic versions of the WordPress admin. SketchPress and other open-source projects from 10up are available on GitHub. You can pick up a copy of the book at WordCamp Europe or download the digital copy.

10up Heads To Berlin for WordCamp Europe 2019

Gabe Karp on June 10, 2019

From speaking and delivering product demos to volunteering at contributor day, #team10up is excited to be part of WordCamp Europe 2019, a WordPress conference happening June 21-22 in Berlin, Germany that attracts more than 2,000 attendees.

Contributing to communities that value an open web is a big part of our identity, and we can’t wait to share insights and collectively further the WordPress project. Several 10uppers, including myself and Brent van Rensburg, Director of Engineering, will be roaming the event, presenting, and lending a hand at the Google booth.

Presenting at Remote Future Summit

Brad Miller on May 14, 2019

Brad Miller presents How to Be Successful in a Remote Job and Company at Remote Future Summit.

The best talent isn’t found in a single zip code and an international clientele requires a global perspective. Independence from traditional “brick and mortar” offices, freedom from commutes, and flexible schedules across nearly a dozen time zones mean we work when and where we’re most inspired and are available when our clients need us. At 10up, we’re advocates for remote work and know how to make it succeed for the company and the individual.

Nate Allen contributes to the WordPress Dashicon Library

Jake Goldman on April 24, 2019

Iconography design might seem an uncommon undertaking for a developer, but Senior Engineer Nate Allen recently saw an opportunity to make WordPress’s Dashicon library more inclusive. He took the initiative to tackle the design challenge himself, learning Adobe Illustrator in order to supplement the existing “businessman” icon with additional icons for “businesswoman” and “businessperson.” These icons, along with many more new icons, will be released with WordPress 5.2.

Nate’s determination to stretch his core skills and proactively contribute a creative, open source solution is a small but meaningful representation of the 10up way. Thanks for your dedication to the community and your craft, Nate!

Early Perceptions of the New WordPress Editor

Sarah James on April 12, 2019

Prior to the release of WordPress 5.0, I conducted a survey asking WordPress users with Gutenberg experience to offer their perspective on the new editor. The survey was conducted as part of a broader user-research effort designed to understand more about how content publishers view page-building and site-building tools, and how the new content editor matches expectations. This research was intended to explore the behaviors and opinions of people who had already tried Gutenberg. Updates to the new editor based on this research are being tracked on Github and MakeWordPress.org.

John Eckman on March 20, 2019

At 10up, we believe that the web is better when we prioritize equal access to digital content, regardless of age, size, ability, or disability. Over the last several months, our Director of Front End Engineering, Tim Wright, has been working to resolve accessibility challenges in the new WordPress content editor, code-named Gutenberg. In addition to contributing code to the new editor, Tim joined the vendor selection committee for an accessibility audit sponsored by WPCampus, adding agency representation to a committee largely comprised of higher education advocates. An audit overview and update were presented as part of WPCampus Online 2019.

Introducing GitHub Actions for WordPress (Plugins)

Helen Hou-Sandi on March 14, 2019 • 12 Comments

Do you develop your WordPress plugins on GitHub? Then here’s a treat for you! We’re excited to release a GitHub Action that deploys to the WordPress.org Plugin Repository whenever you tag a new version on GitHub. You’ll be able to manage your entire development lifecycle in GitHub—no more futzing with local Bash scripts or controlling commit/push access in multiple places.

Keep reading for more details about GitHub Actions and how to get set up, but the gist is this: you reference our action in your plugin repo’s workflow file, filtered to only run when a tag is pushed, and set your username/password secrets. After that, each time you tag a new version on GitHub, whether by pushing a Git tag from the command line or making one using the GitHub releases interface, your plugin will be deployed to WordPress.org.

10up’s 8th Anniversary

Jake Goldman on February 22, 2019 • 2 Comments

10up's 8th anniversary.

10up’s eighth year saw significant team and financial growth, all while we renewed our dedication to the values of openness and ownership. Our ethos of collective ownership drove us to find creative solutions, looking beyond the short-term to consider how our ideas scale, fit into product roadmaps, or impact the overall technology stack. And through it all, we increased revenue and grew our team—each by 30%—and welcomed more than 40 new clients across industries as diverse as media, publishing, high-tech, finance, food & beverage, and architecture.

Introducing WP Acceptance

Taylor Lovett on January 31, 2019 • 3 Comments

WP Acceptance—a team-centric tool we’ve built for writing reliable, scalable acceptance tests—is now available in beta. Part of our pursuit of finely crafted web experiences, we think that WP Acceptance will help ensure stable releases and fewer regressions for WordPress applications. This toolkit lets developers and continuous integration (CI) pipelines test codebases through version-controlled acceptance tests and sharable, defined file and database snapshots.

We’re considering this a public beta release. It won’t adversely affect your application or introduce instability, but it has not yet been thoroughly tested as a framework and may have some bugs. Through our own testing and community involvement, we’ll further solidify WP Acceptance as it approaches a full, public release.

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