Welcome to this week’s EasyWP Dispatch, with three exciting news stories. First, learn about WordPress’s new performance plugin promising faster page load times. Then, discover how blockchain is changing the game for freelance designers. Finally, discover why a minor tweak in WhatsApp’s latest update sparked a backlash. Dive deeper into these stories to see what’s happening in the world of WordPress.

New WordPress plugin promises near-instant load times

WordPress has unveiled a new performance plugin featuring the Speculative Loading API, promising near-instant page load times. By prerendering entire web pages based on user interaction, the plugin anticipates navigation paths, changing how sites are rendered. According to the Search Engine Journal, this new technology addresses previous limitations by prefetching and prerendering URLs, ensuring optimal performance. The plugin already has over 6,000 installations, and the reviews are all positive.

Developed by the official WordPress performance team, the plugin allows users to test the latest performance technologies before it’s integrated into the WordPress core. While browser compatibility remains a consideration, the plugin could be a significant leap forward in optimizing website performance and user engagement. You can download and test this tool from the official WordPress plugin library.

How blockchain changes the game for WordPress freelancers

A recent article on the Namecheap blog discusses how the freelance workforce is expanding, with nearly half of all global workers engaging in self-employment. For freelance WordPress web designers, this trend underscores the importance of embracing innovative solutions to streamline operations and enhance client interactions. Blockchain technology emerges as a game-changer, transforming how designers receive payments, enforce contracts, and build client trust. 

By leveraging blockchain’s decentralized nature, freelance designers can benefit from immutable smart contracts, transparent transactions, and reduced intermediary costs, all of which contribute to a more efficient and secure workflow. Read the full article to see a list of blockchain platforms tailored for freelancers.

Recent WhatsApp update proves people hate change

The internet is a well-known place for expressing opinions, and it’s no secret that those opinions can often be very critical. Creative Bloq recently observed an unexpected backlash following a minor tweak in WhatsApp’s latest update: the capitalization of the words ‘Online’ and ‘Typing.” 

Despite its seemingly trivial nature, this alteration prompted strong reactions from users accustomed to the previous lowercase format. Fear highlights user responses, with some expressing outrage and others even feeling existential about the pace of change in the world. For WordPress site designers, this is a reminder that even seemingly small changes can trigger strong user reactions, emphasizing the importance of considering user experience in every aspect of WordPress design.

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