If you’ve run a website for any amount of time, you’ve likely had a lot of questions that need answers.
Some answers are quick, like “Is this plugin safe to use?” Others require more detail, like “Will this plugin fit my specific needs?”
You could always ask Google or your favorite AI bot, but what if you could instead get real‑time answers from an expert?
That’s exactly why we run our Office Hours livestreams.
What exactly are Office Hours?
Office Hours are our live, open Q&A sessions hosted by Nathan Ingram, the agency coach here at hosting.com.
They are livestreamed via Zoom and run for about an hour, without any real, rigid presentation plan; no slide deck marathon, no sales pitches. They are all about the questions our viewers have asked throughout the week, and the practical answers Nathan and the community provide.
These livestreams offer you a weekly opportunity to discuss WordPress, hosting, client work, or other related questions directly with industry professionals.
The best part is that it’s open to everyone. You don’t have to be a hosting.com customer or a subscriber. Simply register via this link, and tune in every Thursday at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
What a typical session looks like
At the start of each livestream, Nathan does a brief news segment. It typically involves anything interesting that’s happened in the world of WordPress, hosting, agencies, AI tools, or other relevant technology.
After that, we move into the Q&A, which is the main part of the stream. Our viewers submit their questions, and he answers them in the order they came in. We don’t filter based on complexity: whether it’s a simple or difficult question, Nathan and the community will do their best to answer.
The best part of the livestreams, however, is the sheer range of topics we cover. So far, we’ve gone over things like:
Database character sets like UTF8MB4.
Why mail delivery can fail.
What site owners should know about CIPA.
The risks of using an outdated PHP version.
And so many more. Even if you don’t have a question, you’ll walk away having learned something useful!
After each livestream, we also choose one question and elaborate on it on our blog. It can be something super interesting that warrants a more detailed look, or something more technical that needs deeper explanation.
You can find past posts in the Office Hours category. Each blog also has links to our YouTube channel, where the livestreams are free for anyone who couldn’t catch them live, and to our registration form.
Who is Office Hours for?
Everyone! Just as we don’t turn down any questions, people from all industries or knowledge levels are welcome.
You don’t need a deep technical background to follow along. Nathan explains concepts clearly, shares his screen when necessary, and never assumes everyone in the room is a sysadmin.
If you are someone who wants to make smarter website decisions, works with WordPress, is part of an agency team, or anything in between (or completely unrelated), you are free to join.
Come join us!
We run Office Hours because hosting shouldn’t be a mystery.
Too often, site owners have to make decisions or changes they are not entirely certain about, or just get told “It’s done” by support teams.
We’d rather explain and teach you how something works. The easiest way to do that is to talk it through live with Nathan. Fill out the registration form, submit a question, and join us every Thursday at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
FAQ
Can I get value from Office Hours if I'm not building sites myself ?
Absolutely. While developers and agency owners make up a significant part of the audience, a lot of the most useful questions come from people who simply own a website and want to make better decisions about it .
You don't need to write code or understand server infrastructure to benefit from the stream; Nathan explains concepts in plain language, and the questions from non-technical attendees often produce some of the most broadly useful answers.
What happens if I submit a question but can't make it to the live stream that week?
All Office Hours sessions are recorded and uploaded to YouTube, where they're freely available to watch on demand. So even if your question gets answered during a stream you missed, you'll be able to find the answer in the recording. The Office Hours Q&A blog posts also highlight particularly noteworthy questions from each session in written form, which makes it easy to search for relevant topics without scrubbing through an entire video.
How far in advance should I submit a question to have it answered in a given week's session?
The question submission form is open throughout the week, and Nathan works through questions in the order they were received. Submitting earlier in the week gives your question the best chance of being reached during that session, since the stream runs for about an hour and may not get through every question in the queue.
Questions that don't get covered in a given week aren't discarded. They carry over to the following session. If your question is time-sensitive (for example, related to an issue actively affecting your live site), it's worth noting that context when submitting, as it helps Nathan and the community prioritize accordingly.
