200 Themes Removed From WordPress.org – Matt Explains Why

There’s been some ruckus about the sudden departure of some 200 themes from the WordPress.org theme directory. Justin Tadlock and Spectacu.la both had a lot of things to say about this.

I emailed Matt Mullenweg, and he explained that the reason for the massive theme purge was that there was a lot of spammy SEO links as well as various violations of the GPL that is required to be hosted in the directory. He also said this, to address the people who are worried about what is really going on with the theme directory:

There were also a few that violated WP community guidelines, like the domain policy. So since Monday we’ve been clearing stuff out en mass. If you’re kosher with the GPL and don’t claim or promote otherwise on your site and your theme was removed, it was probably a mistake. Give us a week to catch up with the bad stuff and then drop a note.

See Also
Miami Hip-hop Fashion

So there you have it. Mystery solved, hopefully. The whole thing is, however, a reminder that a theme marketplace is needed, although I would say that it might be a better idea to offer links to the ones that have already established themselves, given how late to the game a WordPress hosted one would be.

Picture of Thord Daniel Hedengren

Thord Daniel Hedengren

Thord Daniel Hedengren is a designer, writer, and blogger, and also the former editor of The Blog Herald. He used to be a hotshot in the gaming industry in Sweden, but sold everything and went International. Most recently he wrote a book called Smashing WordPress: Beyond the Blog, and does loads of kickass design.

RECENT ARTICLES

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

If you can carry a conversation about these 7 topics, you have a sharper mind than most people

If you can carry a conversation about these 7 topics, you have a sharper mind than most people

Hack Spirit

4 zodiac signs who have the ability to get along with anyone, despite cultural or age differences

4 zodiac signs who have the ability to get along with anyone, despite cultural or age differences

Parent From Heart

People who always arrive 10 minutes early tend to share these 8 success?driven traits

People who always arrive 10 minutes early tend to share these 8 success?driven traits

Global English Editing

8 boundaries that seem small but protect your mental health in a big way, according to experts

8 boundaries that seem small but protect your mental health in a big way, according to experts

Global English Editing

People who make their bed every morning share these 9 surprising personality traits

People who make their bed every morning share these 9 surprising personality traits

Global English Editing

7 types of friends you should consider letting go as you get older, says this psychologist

7 types of friends you should consider letting go as you get older, says this psychologist

Parent From Heart