Talks about Gutenberg have been popular since the announcement to release the new system this year. But what does it mean for content creators? Sevaa Group uses WordPress often. We use it to create our own blog posts, and we use it to build functional websites for clients. It’s only natural that we question the change and strive to educate ourselves, and in turn, our clients.
Block-Based Editing
The main difference about the Gutenberg Editor is it’s use of content blocks. Instead of putting all your content into stationary fields, content creators can add “blocks” that are easily manipulated. This will ultimately simplify the way users work with elements on a page, and it’s a lot more multimedia-friendly. You’ll have the option to build posts with images, social media, polls, and other elements. This option is available in the current system of editing but not quite as easy. Sometimes it takes a bit of effort to get image alignment and sizing correct, and let’s not talk about adding videos.
Users will have the ability to add and move blocks around as needed. They can use blocks for text, images, videos, buttons, widgets, tables, and any other elements you think will make a solid page.
Release Strategy
The release of the Gutenberg Editor is still in the works. It’s scheduled to become a part of WordPress core with the release of version 5.0, which is scheduled for some time in 2018. The release will come in two phases.
Phase 1
Gutenberg aims to make post creation easy for everyone with the use of block-based editing.
Phase 2
Users will have the ability to create page templates and customizations with Gutenberg. Eventually, we’ll be able to use Gutenberg to build an entire website. For developers like Sevaa Group, that means a streamlined workflow, and your project gets deployed quicker. More importantly, we can hand you a finished project that you can easily sustain and edit on your own.
Transitioning
The switch to Gutenberg is unavoidable (and for the best), but you’re probably used to the current system of editing. Use the Classic Editor plugin until you warm up to Gutenberg. This way you can explore the new system. Or try out the demo which will teach you the basics and prepare you for the release. You can actually try out the beta version of the Gutenberg Editor, but we don’t suggest this for a live site. Try it out on a test site or staging environment. The WordPress team encourages people to try out the Gutenberg Editor and give feedback.
We’re looking forward to the changes coming to WordPress and hope it will serve as a benefit for our content and our clients. What are your thoughts on the upcoming Gutenberg release?
