We have some very exciting things to announce today.
But first: I would like to extend a sincere thanks on behalf of the team here at WPUniversity to the WordPress Community. There’s no way we get here or move forward without you. Thank you!
Now, for some exciting news!
For the past five months the WPUniversity team has hard at work building the back-end platform that powers our guided learning service; creating the plugin that ties it into WordPress; and producing the core WordPress learning walkthroughs that will run inside a users’ WordPress Dashboard.
Today we are very proud to announce:
- The WPUniversity Beta program is over. Thank you for all your feedback!
- The platform is ready for public release.
- There are 34 core WordPress Walkthroughs available for FREE (for a limited time), all you have to do is activate the library from the plugin settings page.
- The plugin is available the WordPress Repository!
Hold on though, don’t go searching for it just yet…
A Unique Title for a Unique Piece of Software
About two months ago we realized that we weren’t building just one piece of software, but two:
- A powerful guided support and learning platform, and;
- The WordPress plugin to hook it into the CMS we love.
It also became clear that this platform could be used beyond WordPress. We began to understand and now firmly believe it will revolutionize how new users are trained and how staff and teams are on-boarded. Something like this deserved it’s own name and identity.
And so, Sidekick was born.
Why Sidekick?
A sidekick is a companion: At your service where and when you need them – and out of the way when you don’t.
With Sidekick, a simple click of a button leads you through tasks, assists you in completing them successful, and then quietly tucks away.
What about WPUniversity?
When Bart and I started WPUniversity.com, we had a singular goal in mind:
Make WordPress easier to learn and less costly to support.
This remains our mutual vision – a goal we are committed to more than ever before. It’s why we built WPUniversity.com as the informative, user-friendly WordPress learning cerntre it is and it’s why we are so excited about Sidekick and the possibilities it represents.
We’re proud that the WPUniversity team created and will continue to build & support the WordPress core walkthroughs for Sidekick.
The Future
The future is bright with Sidekick. Here is just a taste of what’s coming down the pipe in the next few months:
- Design & Experience: We are committed to making Sidekick the fastest and easiest way to support WordPress. We are investing heavily in UI / UX and plan to launch a new experience by the end of October.
- Create your own Walkthroughs: In mid-October, a beta version of Sidekick Composer tools will be introduced. The tools are an easy-to-use, in-dashboard interface that will allow website, theme and plugin developers to create their own Walkthroughs and help eliminate costly support calls, emails and tickets.
- An expanded Core Library: The WPUniversity team is already hard at work on our next round of Core Walkthroughs. Stay tuned.
Now, go download the plugin!
Install it, try it out, and please send us your Sidekick feedback. We look forward to hearing from all of you.
Have a Happy Thursday!
Ben Fox
Co-Founder, WPUniversity & Sidekick
