Google and Automattic/WordPress Partner Over Newspack Publishing System

[engine]

Google, with its News Initiative, has partnered with Automattic, the publisher of WordPress, to create Newspack, which is describes it as a secure, low cost publishing system for small newsrooms, and development starts in the next few weeks.

So while Newspack publishers will have access to all the plugins created by the WordPress developer community, the core product is not trying to be all things to all publishers. It is trying to help small publishers succeed by building best practices into the product while removing distractions that may divert scarce resources. We like to call it "an opinionated CMS:” it knows the right thing to do, even when you don’t.

[blog.google...]

[en.blog.wordpress.com...]

[shri]

I don't get it. Whats the point? It will be a wordpress redux + some workflow? From the looks of it with the core should be the same if they have plugin compatibility.

Knowing how much thought and effort Google puts into its outreach and how well its teams work with each other, I assume it will be fully integrated with Firebase for push messaging, Ad Manager for advertising, and many of its core platform products like analytics, pay, assistant and home devices. Plus it will also offer platform independent apps based on Flutter. Because, I suspect that providing an opinionated PHP based CMS is like so 1990s.

[explorador]

I don't like what I just read, and I don't like what comes to my mind :/ but it's based on past events.

Google created a problem feeding blogger and also supporting blogs on the search results (you know, paying too much attention to them, if you don't know about this you are late to the party). Then the whole MFA and garbage sites took over. Now? ha ha really? after google pushing to use YOUR content on it's results to feed their strategies instead of bringing people to your sites... this is just a mutated alternative of strategy just like AMP pages, where Go just want to have access to something (information of whatever kind).

So then what? "IF you use this G helps you" because somehow G will try to implement a tool for fake news? or study people interactions? calling home? first access to served content? sorry but I don't fall for this one.

[cnvi]

IMO, its initial steps to tie Google products with Automatic/Wordpress products with an eventual bid for Google to purchase Wordpress. I hope I am wrong but it's likely their strategy.

[HideKL]

You are not wrong. It is really their strategy.