Expanding Your Skills Stack During the Rapid AI Shift Hosts Carl Alexander and Zach Stepek discuss the challenging yet empowering transition in careers, emphasizing the need to adapt skillsets, leverage AI tools, and focus on personal branding in a rapidly changing environment.

Preparing Your WooCommerce Store for the AI Era: Data and Catalog Management As WooCommerce continues to evolve in its integration with AI technologies, one theme stands out: the importance of structured and accessible data for store success. Conversations in a recent episode illuminated how a…

What’s New at CloudFest Hackathon 2026: Trends, Changes, and Creative Energy In this episode enjoy a chat about the CloudFest Hackathon 2026's history, future initiatives, and community engagement,… https://openchannels.fm/whats-new-at-cloudfest-hackathon-2026-trends-changes-and-creative-energy/

How Freelancers Can Tame Digital Distractions Starting conversations around strategies to reduce digital distractions, emphasizing boundaries for emails, social media habits, and personalizing routines for better focus.

Open Channels New YouTube Channel and Newsletter Host Bob Dunn announces a new YouTube channel and a new newsletter and roundup. https://openchannels.fm/open-channels-new-youtube-channel-and-newsletter/

Omnisend Continues Their Support of Open Channels FM Omnisend continues to sponsor us, offering a powerful marketing platform for ecommerce. They provide easy migration support and so much more.

Empathy For some of us it comes naturally. For others, it may need to be learned.

Open Source vs SaaS: The Freedom Debate In this clip, hosts Dave and Robert discuss the balance between personal convenience and the ideals of open source technology.

AI Sidekick Features for WooCommerce Merchants Co-host Katie Keith asks if WooCommerce will ever get a built-in AI assistant like Shopify’s Sidekick. James LePage explains that while it’s not in core just yet, all the building blocks are nearly here, and soon, adding a custom AI agent to your…

How Instant Access to Information Has Changed Patience and Learning A reflection on the internet's impact on patience and learning. It highlights how instant answers have reshaped our experiences, often sacrificing depth for speed in knowledge acquisition.

Elementor Rebranding >

Communicating Transparently Around Challenges Communication isn’t just about communicating around the good things, the shiny things.

How AI Is Changing the Way Developers Work The rise of AI tools is revitalizing programming for developers, making coding enjoyable, but also increasing workload and emphasizing the need for visibility in contributions.

An Inside Look at Building Consistent Brand Experience in the Digital Ecosystem In this episode, Adam Weeks interviews Jessica Malamud, who discusses Elementor's significant rebranding efforts… https://openchannels.fm/an-inside-look-at-building-consistent-brand-experience-in-the-digital-ecosystem/

Here we go! Hosts @webcami.bsky.social and @bobwp.com are starting a monthly episode on habits for freelancers and small businesses. The good habits, and yes, the bad habits. openchannels.fm/building-bet...

Our Tech Stack Sometime ago I created a list of my own tech stack over on my personal site. Had a lot of feedback about how people appreciated it. So I decided, why not do it here as well. Except instead of it including the site and it's inner workings, I chose to focus more…

Roadmap 2026 — Charting the stars of the open social web – ActivityPub for WordPress activitypub.blog/2026/02/11/r...

The Blackout. Off the Grid. During the day I thought about this tiny experience of a blackout

Navigating AI’s Impact on the Open Web, Freedom, and the Future of Technology In their Open Web Conversations podcast, Dave Lockie and Robert Jacobi banter about the evolving AI landscape,… https://openchannels.fm/navigating-ais-impact-on-the-open-web-freedom-and-the-future-of-technology/

The Overlooked Backbone of Open Source: Voluntary Work Amid Modern Pressures In a tech-centric era, volunteer-driven open source projects face a precarious future. As pressures mount, these unsung heroes risk burnout, jeopardizing our digital safety and stability. How long can they hold on?

AI Meets Woo: The Future of Ecommerce is Already Here In this episode of Do the Woo, hosts Katie and James discuss WooCommerce and AI with guest James LePage, exploring new features, tools, protocols, and the future of… https://openchannels.fm/ai-meets-woo-the-future-of-ecommerce-is-already-here/

"On the face of it, we have abundance. The internet brought us abundance. Sounds great, but not all great." – Nathan Wrigley https://openchannels.fm/hey-what-do-you-think-about-the-internet-and-what-we-might-have-lost/

Open Channels FM New YouTube Channel The rebranded content will feature audio and video episodes. Founder BobWP will share the backstory soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Never Say Never When you say never say never about something, how sure can you be?

Jerks and Flows https://openchannels.fm/jerks-and-flows/

Open Source at the Heart of Europe's (and the World's) Digital Future - Open Source Initiative https://opensource.org/blog/open-source-at-the-heart-of-europes-and-the-worlds-digital-future

Jerks and Flows For myself, in the very early days, lots of teeny jerks, too many to mention.

The Role of Cloud in Shaping AI-Driven Human Experiences - Roger Rohatgi at CloudFest 2026 https://www.cloudfest.com/blog/human-centered-ai-cloud-role-roger-rohatgi-cloudfest-2026

Bridging Cultural Gaps in Global WordPress Collaboration The episode emphasizes the necessity of understanding cultural differences in international WordPress projects, highlighting how effective communication fosters collaboration and innovation while preventing misunderstandings.

Navigating Tech Shifts, Expanding Your Developer Toolkit https://openchannels.fm/navigating-tech-shifts-expanding-your-developer-toolkit/

Navigating Tech Shifts, Expanding Your Developer Toolkit Zach Stepek and Carl Alexander discuss winter challenges, work-life balance, and AI’s impact on coding. They emphasize the importance of diversifying skills and adapting to tech changes for career longevity.

Tech Predictions For content creators, it's murky waters that many wade into.

The ESP landscape is shifting fast. Yotpo shut down email/SMS. Sendlane is being acquired. It's a reminder that long-term stability matters more than loud marketing. That's why Omnisend keeps growing and is trusted by 150k+ brands, 4.8/5 Shopify rating, and fre... https://omnisend.com/openchannels/

On Being Flexible Over the years there has been one single piece of advice I have given small business owners and freelancers.

From BobWP's Creator MeanderingsTake the Time to Listen https://openchannels.fm/take-the-time-to-listen/

Take the Time to Listen We are too busy adding to the conversation vs. just listening.

Inside WooCommerce: Competitive Advantages, Community Events, and New Design Directions https://openchannels.fm/inside-woocommerce-competitive-advantages-community-events-and-new-design-directions/

This week features 20i, Rodolfo Melogli, @kinsta.com, @woocommerce.com, @jamesckemp.bsky.social, @katiekeithbarn2.bsky.social, @beaulebens.bsky.social, @openchannelsfm.bsky.social, @kevin-indig.bsky.social, @sejournal.bsky.social, @therepository.email, @bph.social, and many more!

Inside WooCommerce: Competitive Advantages, Community Events, and New Design Directions In this episode of Do the Woo, guest Beau Lebens and hosts James and Katie key WooCommerce topics, including community concerns, competitive advantages, AI developments, and the future of the WooCommerce…

How WooCommerce’s Open Source Model Spawns Innovation https://openchannels.fm/how-woocommerces-open-source-model-spawns-innovation/

How WooCommerce’s Open Source Model Spawns Innovation Looking at WooCommerce’s open source nature, we learn how community contributions drive innovation, foster flexibility, and ensure collaborative growth in ecommerce.

Hey, if you hang out on LinkedIn make sure and follow us over there https://www.linkedin.com/company/openchannelsfm

Open Source Software, Public Policy, and the Stakes of Getting It Right - Open Source Initiative https://opensource.org/blog/open-source-software-public-policy-and-the-stakes-of-getting-it-right

Fostering a Culture of Positive Learning in Accessibility The Open Channels FM Episode 711 emphasizes transforming the accessibility journey into an educational, enjoyable process, fostering a supportive culture that encourages creativity and passion for inclusion among designers and developers.

Best time to migrate is before you're under pressure. Our sponsor Omnisend moves everything essential for you now, so you're fully ready when you plan for that large campaign. Use the code OpenChannels and get 30% off your first 3 months of any paid plan. https://www.omnisend.com/openchannels/

A new episode of Open Web Conversations with host @bovelett.bsky.social and guest Juliette Reinders Folmer, the sole maintainer of PHP_CodeSniffer, talking all about PHP_CodeSniffer. > Underfunded PHP Tools: A Global B... https://openchannels.fm/how-an-overlooked-php-tool-keeps-the-internet-running/

Underfunded PHP Tools: A Global Business Threat In this episode of Open Conversations, host Anne chats with Juliette, the sole maintainer of PHP_CodeSniffer. They dive into the challenges of maintaining crucial open-source projects, funding issues, and AI's impact on software development.

AI Experiments, WordPress 7.0, Gutenberg 22.3 and 22.4, Playground for theme builders - Weekend Edition 354 - Gutenberg Times https://gutenbergtimes.com/ai-experiments-wordpress-7-0-gutenberg-22-3-and-22-4-playground-for-theme-builders-weekend-edition-354/

Matt Mullenweg on WooCommerce future & competitive strengths. openchannels.fm/matt-mullenw... via WP_Weekly_276 @openchannelsfm.bsky.social

Today's "Creator Meanderings" post via @BobWP > It's Okay to Let Go https://openchannels.fm/when-its-time-to-let-go/