Episode 603: Building the Changelog WP Service With Ryan Logan and Derek Ashauer
Show Highlights
The source provides excerpts from “Episode 603 Building the Changelog WP Service With Ryan Logan and Derek Ashauer” of the SDM Show, hosted by Rob Cairns and focused on topics like business, digital marketing, and WordPress. In this episode, Cairns interviews guests Ryan Logan and Derek Ashauer about their collaborative project, Change Log WP, a service designed to notify WordPress users when the change logs for their monitored plugins are updated, helping them stay informed about features, fixes, and security vulnerabilities. The discussion covers the project’s development, its current status (pulling all plugins from WordPress.org and being free), future plans for monetization and expanding to premium plugins and themes, and the technical aspects of building a scalable service. The hosts and guests emphasize the value of Change Log WP for both agencies and do-it-yourself website owners, noting its utility for competitive analysis and crucial security updates..
Show Notes
Hey everyone, and welcome to the show notes for my latest podcast with Derek Ashauer and Ryan Logan. We dove into their exciting new collaboration, a project called Changelog WP.
What is Changelog WP?
Changelog WP is a service that helps WordPress users stay informed about updates to the plugins and themes they use. You can add plugins to a watchlist and get notified daily or weekly whenever their changelogs are updated. This helps you stay on top of new features, security fixes, and other changes.
- For Users: It’s a convenient way to keep track of plugins you have installed, or even ones you’re just keeping an eye on. You no longer have to manually check for updates or wait for an issue to pop up.
- For Agencies & Professionals: This tool is invaluable for agencies managing multiple client sites. It’s a huge time-saver that centralizes all the information you need in one place.
- For Developers: Derek and Ryan believe it’s a win-win for plugin developers as well. Listing their products on Changelog WP is essentially free advertising and a great way to keep their customers informed.
A Collaborative Project Built Remotely
The project came to life after Ryan, who runs a website care agency, had the idea for a service that would automate tracking plugin updates. He approached Derek, a developer, to bring the concept to life. The two, who live in different time zones, found that remote work was no challenge thanks to modern tools like Slack and Zoom. As Derek mentioned, this was a unique experience for both of them, as they had been working independently for a long time. They found that having a project with mutual reliance was a great motivator to learn and innovate.
The Future of Changelog WP
Currently, the service is free and pulls data from all plugins available on the WordPress.org repository. But they have bigger plans:
- Monetization: They are actively discussing how to monetize the service to make it sustainable.
- Premium Plugins: The goal is to include premium plugins not listed on WordPress.org. They are working on a system to allow developers to submit their plugins to the platform.
- New Features: They are exploring premium features, such as tracking an unlimited number of plugins on your watchlist. They are also considering how to incorporate security vulnerability notifications.
- AI Integration: Derek shared that he leveraged AI to learn about Cloudflare workers, a new tool for him, which helped him build a robust solution for the project.
Get in Touch!
If you are a plugin or theme developer, or even a service provider in the WordPress space, Derek and Ryan are looking to collaborate to get your products listed on the site.
To check out the project and sign up for free, visit changelogwp.com. You can also find a contact form and links to their social media in the footer of the site.
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