Blogging

WordPress Will Soon Replace Its ‘Happy Blogging’ Message

Patrick's Place

Last Updated on December 12, 2019

When WordPress 5.1 rolls out, the message ‘Happy Blogging’ will be replaced in the core files, a move some consider the end of an era.

But for bloggers, this is not a reason to panic!

WPTavern.com reported some of the core configuration files in WordPress will feature a change to the ‘Happy Blogging’ message.

The replacement? “Happy Publishing.”

In a few other locations of the files, where there are instructions for people to make necessary changes to their WordPress installation core files, the word blog will be replaced with the word site.

As far as I can tell, this change is only apparent on the “back end,” the part of our website that the website owner sees, not on the “front end,” the part of this website you’re reading right now.

Still, the change “signifies the end of an era, which actually ended a long time ago but is now formally recognized in the software’s language,” WPTavern says.

In the actual change report at WordPress.org, the official explanation makes it clear:

As of this commit, WordPress is no longer a simple blogging platform. It’s now a comprehensive publishing solution.

The percentage of websites built using WordPress has been slowly inching higher for year now. The most recent estimate I’ve heard now has WordPress powering 30% of all websites. And in many of those cases, the sites WordPress runs are not blogs, but actual business or personal sites that don’t even include blogs.

With WordPress’s release of 5.0, the Gutenberg editor was introduced. That feature will play a more important role with WordPress’s flexibility as time goes on. Gutenberg is designed to be a more powerful page-building option than the platform has ever been able to offer.

The future of WordPress, certainly as far as WordPress itself is concerned, involves moving beyond just personal blogging.

Bloggers, this isn’t a bad thing.

If you’re a blogger, whether you’re already on WordPress (as I am) or on another platform considering a move to WordPress, don’t let this little detail change your mind.

WordPress isn’t abandoning blogging by any means. If anything, it’s creating a future in which every kind of website owner, including bloggers, have more options at their fingertips without having to invest in themes or third-party web designs.

Trust me: I know how easy it is to feel intimidated by WordPress. I was when I started, which is why it took a few years before I finally transitioned from AOL to Blogger to WordPress. I’ve never looked back, and even though change always means learning a new way of doing things, I still think that WordPress is, by far, your best bet if you’re planning to start a blog or are contemplating a move to WordPress from another platform.

So don’t let talk of a change from “Happy Blogging” to “Happy Publishing” shake you.

The future is still WordPress!

the authorPatrick
Patrick is a Christian with more than 30 years experience in professional writing, producing and marketing. His professional background also includes social media, reporting for broadcast television and the web, directing, videography and photography. He enjoys getting to know people over coffee and spending time with his dog.