--- title: 2023 Year in Review description: A year of significant change, 2023 brought extensive travel and meaningful contributions to WordPress, including leadership roles in major projects. doc_version: current last_updated: '2026-03-31T09:54:37.000Z' date: '2024-01-08T09:39:25.000Z' author: Rich Tabor summary: A year of significant change, 2023 brought extensive travel and meaningful contributions to WordPress, including leadership roles in major projects. tags: - Annual Review published: true type: blog url: /2023-review canonical: https://richtabor.com/2023-review id: 4179 --- Well, we made it. Welcome to 2024. Last year was one of those years that will hold an impact far beyond from what I realize today. 2023 was a year of change, connection, exploration, and meaningfulness. 1. [Working](/2023-review/#working) 2. [Traveling (73,770 miles)](/2023-review/#traveling-73-770-miles) 1. [Automattic:](/2023-review/#automattic) 2. [WordCamps](/2023-review/#wordcamps) 3. [Personal](/2023-review/#personal) 3. [Blogging](/2023-review/#blogging) 4. [Writing](/2023-review/#writing) 5. [Posting on X (formally Twitter)](/2023-review/#posting-on-x-formally-twitter) 6. [Reading](/2023-review/#reading) 7. [Life](/2023-review/#life) ## Working I kicked off the year [joining Automattic](/automattic-year-one/). Automattic fosters an environment where everyone is encouraged to share ideas, work across teams, and consistently challenge [the status quo](https://automattic.com/creed/status-quo/). It’s right up my ally and I feel like I’m contributing in a meaningful way, producing meaningful output. I’ve contributed to WordPress in some fashion for over a decade now, but 2023 was different. Focusing on the project nearly exclusively, and with more collaborators than ever, I’ve hit a stride that is equal parts challenging and rewarding. Notably, I was the Design Lead for WordPress [6.2](https://wordpress.org/news/2023/03/dolphy/) and [6.3](https://wordpress.org/news/2023/08/lionel/), and a major contributor to the widely acclaimed default WordPress theme, [Twenty Twenty-Four](https://automattic.design/2023/11/22/introducing-twenty-twenty-four/). ## Traveling (73,770 miles) I’ve had the opportunity to travel all over the world for team meetups (and WordCamps), broadening my horizon quite a bit. I covered just about 74k miles and having visited 6 countries: ![A stylized infographic from the Flighty app, which tracks flights. It resembles a passport and provides a summary of Rich Tabor's flight activity, including the number of flights taken, total distance flown, flight time, number of airports visited, and the airlines flown with.](https://i0.wp.com/rich.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/passport-rich.png?ssl=1&resize=1179%2C1475) ### Automattic: - Malaysia 🇲🇾 - Vienna, Austria 🇦🇹 - Seville, Spain 🇪🇸 - Málaga, Spain 🇪🇸 - [Playa del Carmen, Mexico](/playa-del-carmen-2023/) 🇲🇽 ### WordCamps - [WordCamp Birmingham](https://birmingham.wordcamp.org/2023/), Alabama 🇺🇸 - [WordCamp Europe](https://europe.wordcamp.org/2023/), Athens, Greece 🇬🇷 - [WordCamp US](https://us.wordcamp.org/2023/), National Harbor Maryland 🇺🇸 ### Personal - Yurimaguas, Peru 🇵🇪 - Panama City, Florida 🇺🇸 - Manassas, Virginia 🇺🇸 I enjoyed every trip, meeting hundreds of passionate WordPress contributors from all over the world. Contributing is about connecting; meeting the people behind the ideas and pull requests. These meetups help to build relationships, encourage collaboration, and provide space to review and plan. A few of my favorite photos from all over: ![Interior view of a modern building featuring a large window with a patterned glass design, casting shadows on an orange carpeted floor. The sunlight filters through, creating a warm, bright atmosphere with a view of trees and a blue sky outside.](https://i0.wp.com/rich.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_0362.jpeg?ssl=1&resize=2400%2C3200) ![Black and white image looking up at the vaulted ceiling of a gothic cathedral, showing detailed brickwork and a religious sculpture.](https://i0.wp.com/rich.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_0865.jpeg?ssl=1&resize=2400%2C3200) ![Ancient step pyramid (El Castillo) at the archaeological site of Chichen Itza, with green grass in the foreground and a sunburst through trees.](https://i0.wp.com/rich.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_1339-1.jpeg?ssl=1&resize=2400%2C3417) ![Coastal scene at twilight with a calm sea, clear sky gradient from blue to orange, and a striped lighthouse in the distance.](https://i0.wp.com/rich.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_2040.jpeg?ssl=1&resize=2400%2C3200) ![View from the bottom of a cave or sinkhole looking up towards the sky, with lush vegetation and a bird in flight visible through the opening.](https://i0.wp.com/rich.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_6978-1.jpeg?ssl=1&resize=2400%2C2680) ![Symmetrical arches reflecting on water in an underground architectural structure, creating a tunnel-like effect.](https://i0.wp.com/rich.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_1009.jpeg?ssl=1&resize=2400%2C3069) ![ Aerial view of a densely packed city (Athens, Greece), with modern buildings, under a clear blue sky with distant mountains on the horizon.](https://i0.wp.com/rich.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_2254.jpeg?ssl=1&resize=2400%2C1800) ![A narrow European street with traditional buildings under a clear blue sky, leading to a view of a historic church tower in the background.](https://i0.wp.com/rich.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_0445.jpeg?ssl=1&resize=2400%2C3200) ## Blogging I moved my blog to [WordPress.com](https://wordpress.com) and re-designed it, twice. Design is iterative, I suppose. My blog is much simpler, and more feed-like, with nice filters by topic at the top. I wrote a few custom blocks—like the comment count avatars and a better “read more” block that looks more like the link cards we all know from social. And I tossed aside the more “heavy-handed” SEO plugins for a simple function that covers the bases. And another function to supply a fallback social featured image, so I don’t have worry about creating those for most posts anymore. My goal with these changes was to reduce the barriers to publishing and create a space more conducive to writing. These small iterations allow for a quicker, more effortless publishing flow, where posting is less of a “list of things to do” and more about writing. I really like it now. It’s precise, yet welcoming. ## Writing Speaking of writing, I published 12 posts this year and had just over 65k views. And since re-designing my blog late last year, I’ve published seven of those posts—those efforts on reducing publish workload seem to be working. My most popular posts of 2023 were: - [Why WordPress](/why-wordpress/) - [How to build WordPress block templates](/block-templates/) - [Build something that matters](/something-that-matters/) I like this spread. I’ve been intentional about sharing product and leadership commentary. My personal favorites are “[Tiny details](/tiny-details/)” and “[Fail fast](/fail-fast/)” — perspectives you may have come across if you follow me on [Github](https://github.com/richtabor) or [X/Twitter](https://twitter.com/richard_tabor). ## Posting on X (formally Twitter) I published much more on [X](https://x.com/richtabor/) throughout 2023, and it shows. I’ve had the biggest year yet, nearly doubling followers (+8k), and increasing impressions by 1600% to 1.8 million. The release threads I publish were by far the most popular: - [WordPress 6.2](https://x.com/richard_tabor/status/1641383516381532160?s=20) - [WordPress 6.3](https://x.com/richard_tabor/status/1689249565097205761?s=20) - [WordPress 6.4](https://x.com/richard_tabor/status/1722221211076440195?s=20) If you’re not following me, I’m [@richtabor](https://x.com/richtabor/) on X. I share all about WordPress, blocks, design, and product. [Follow me](https://x.com/richtabor/) if you’re into those kind of things. ## Reading My top reads of 2023 are: - [Unreasonable Hospitality](https://www.amazon.com/Unreasonable-Hospitality-Remarkable-Giving-People/dp/0593418573) by Will Guidara - [Build](https://www.amazon.com/Build-Unorthodox-Guide-Making-Things/dp/0063046067) by Tony Fadell - [The Design of Everyday Things](https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expanded/dp/0465050654) by Don Norman - [Excellent Advice for Living](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/725357/excellent-advice-for-living-by-kevin-kelly/) by Kevin Kelley - [The Creative Act: A Way of Being](https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886) by Rick Ruben - [The Wager](https://www.amazon.com/Wager-Tale-Shipwreck-Mutiny-Murder/dp/0385534264/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+wager&qid=1704207295&sr=8-1) by David Grann I’m kicking off 2024 with “[Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/58784475)” by Gabrielle Zevin and a couple biographies: “[Michael Jordan: The Life](https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Jordan-Life-Roland-Lazenby/dp/031619476X)” by Roman Lazenby and “[Elon Musk](https://www.amazon.com/Elon-Musk-Walter-Isaacson/dp/1982181281)” by Walter Isaacson. ## Life We’ve had a great year in the Tabor household. I’ve particularly enjoyed playing Lego with the girls, pretending to be the Tooth Fairy a couple times, traveling to Athens, Greece and Yurimagaus, Peru with my wife, Jesse. ![A brown, curly-haired small dog (Cavapoo) resting on a textured pink cushion with a soft-focus background.](https://i0.wp.com/rich.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_0079.jpeg?ssl=1&resize=768%2C1024) ![A family of four in a forest setting, with two young girls, a seated woman, and a man crouching, all smiling and dressed in autumn colors.](https://i0.wp.com/rich.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_0624.jpg?ssl=1&resize=2210%2C1537) ![Close-up of a smiling man and woman, with the woman wearing a cap and both looking off to the side.](https://i0.wp.com/rich.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/DSCF1550.jpg?ssl=1&resize=1024%2C683) To top off the year, here’s me playing guitar in my city’s Christmas concert: 2023 sure was one for the books. How was your year? Comment with your own year in reviews; I enjoy reading those. * * * All years: [2019](/2019-review/), [2018](/2018-review/), [2017](/2017-review/) ## Sitemap [Full site index](/sitemap.md)