Note: the following post contains affiliate links. I receive a portion of any purchases made through these links, at no additional cost to you. Additionally, Automattic is (hopefully) compensating me for promoting WordCamp US 2026; you can get $20 off a general admission ticket with promo code AF26. —TPP
Thank you to everyone who left such sweet comments about Murphy. I am so thankful for the five years I had with the old girl, and hearing how she touched your lives brought me a great deal of joy (and some more tears). She was such a good, sweet, sassy girl, and I miss her so much. —TPP
Two weeks ago I wrote a post about WordCamp US 2026 (WCUS 2026), which is coming to Phoenix, Arizona Sunday, 16 through Wednesday, 19 August 2026 at the Phoenix Convention Center. It’s only $80 for a general admission ticket with promo code AF26. You can purchase tickets here.
I’ve been using WordPress.com as my main platform for blogging daily since 2019, but I’ve never been to one of these conferences. I took a look at the list of speakers and their topics for WordCamp US 2026, and it looks like the kind of thing that would be really useful not just for writers, but also business owners.
Right now, Dr. Wife and I have a number of little projects to get done around the house. One of the downsides of living in a rural area is that it can be difficult to find contractors. You have two options: search online, which has limited results at best (and, increasingly, I just ask AI, which I use as a glorified search engine); or ask people locally. Everybody “knows a guy”—or knows a guy who “knows a guy.”
The problem I run into is when I’m looking for some niche specialty. For example, right now we’re trying to get a garage door repaired. The door works, but it won’t close unless someone stands there and holds the button down until the door is completely closed. It’s one of those things that isn’t urgent, but it’s enough of a nuisance that I’d like to get it fixed. Well, searching for “garage door repair” pulls up all sorts of entities that may or may not exist, and may or may not be willing to come to us for service. They often barely have a website, or are just an unreliable floating in the ether.
[A quick aside: while writing this piece, one of the garage door repair dudes called me back; it turns out I just needed to adjust the sensors so that align better—and to dust the cobwebs off of them. There’s a reason I’m a teacher and not a skilled technician.]
It’s kind of crazy that it has to be said, but in 2026, you need a website; if you’re in business, you need an active, updated website. Even if you’re not conducting business, having a website is worthwhile (and WordPress.com makes it super easy to build one); it’s almost like a living résumé.
So what does all of this winging about websites have to do with WordCamp US 2026? Well, if I were looking to maintain a strong web presence using the easiest tools available (and WordPress.com currently has the easiest and most robust tools for public-facing entrepreneurial endeavors), I’d love to hear from people who are using and experimenting with WordPress.com every single day.
Indeed, of the many talks at WordCamp US 2026, there’s an entire talk about using WordPress.com as a operating system. It’s a concept that I can immediately visualize, but never thought of on my own (for which I am kicking myself now). If you’re a small business owner establishing an online presence with WordPress.com, to which many people already have some kind of account, being able to create an entire e-commerce ecosystem that functions a la an operating system is a pretty clever concept that, I imagine, removes many of the headaches of maintaining multiple logins, etc.
Maybe I’m reading too much into the promise or the purpose of the talk, but just the idea has my mind percolating. Imagine being awash in new ideas and conferencing and networking at WordCamp US 2026 for four days (and, again for only $80 with promo code AF26 here).
It’s also worth noting that, while you can use and learn WordPress.com just fine without flying to Phoenix, Arizona, the folks behind Automattic products and services (like WordPress.com, Jetpack, and Akismet) will be there, it’s the perfect opportunity to learn how to use these services from the very people that program and maintain them.
Again, yours portly just uses the $8/month (when paid annually) “Premium” plan, which isn’t built for large-scale e-commerce, but if I were an entrepreneur with a more robust online business and/or a brick-and-mortar business, I’d likely use the WordPress.com “Business” plan ($25/month, when paid annually). Before I made such a leap, I’d do a good bit of research. Talking to folks at WordCamp US 2026 who make these products would be a fast-track to learning, I’d imagine.
Sure, we can learn a great deal now with AI and other resources, but I find that a conference helps me think about things I’d never consider searching for on my own. I get the impression that WordPress.com, while accessible to users, also holds depths of functionality that I’ve only begun to uncover. Seeing how other folks who have plumbed those depths would be a real education.
And for $80 (with promo code AF26), WordCamp US 2026 is the best deal in education.
To attend, get your tickets here.
Now, back to my to-do list—and hunting for contractors.
The Portly Politico is me, Tyler James Cook. I’ve been blogging on WordPress since 2018, and daily since 2019. I love to write about politics, culture, and music, and frequently feature my original music. Check out my musical creations here on the blog or on Bandcamp. —TPP
