WordPress 2.9 – Update Success
This is the second day since WordPress 2.9 has officially been released. Normally, I wait a couple of weeks to upgrade. But this time I took the dive and the update went through seamlessly. In fact, I have seen a lot of the same results via Twitter. Sounds like a lot of the bugs were worked out in beta. Way to go WordPress!
Of course, I did backup all my files and database just in case!
I will come back and post any plugin or widget conflicts as I hear them.
And how did your experience go?
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New Image Widget
I have in the past given you steps to create an image in your sidebar using the text widget.
Well, today WordPress just came out with a new Image Widget, that solves that problem. Now it’s easy to add an image to your sidebar
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Will the new theme Headway take the place of Thesis?
Just a quick post, as the talk on Twitter, and elsewhere, is the new theme Headway. I’ve yet to really take the time to go through it, but at first glance it’s pretty impressive.
So instead of rehashing what has been said, check out the Headway site and John Haydon, social media marketer, on why he made the switch from Thesis to Headway.
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Ending the Confusion: WordPress.com or WordPress.org?
It’s time to choose which WordPress option you’ll use for your blog or website. The only problem is, well, you’re kind of confused—and afraid you’ll make the wrong choice.
One of the most frequently asked questions from my clients is, “What the heck is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org? And should I even care?” I always answer: “Put simply, yes.”
WordPress.com and WordPress.org come from the same place, and are run by the same open source software. But there are distinct differences, and understanding what they are will make a huge difference in which one you decide to use.
Let’s break it down in a side-by-side comparison of some of the basic features of WordPress.
The Cost
WordPress software is free in both cases.
Ease of Installation
WordPress.com – It’s free and easy to set up a simple blog or website. No installation necessary.
WordPress.org – The software is free. But you need to either host it on your own server or pay a monthly hosting fee to a third party provider, as you do with a website. Some hosting services, such as Bluehost.com, have one-click installations. If your host doesn’t, you will need some understanding of FTP (file transfer protocol) and database setup.
Updates, Back-ups and Security Features
WordPress.com – Everything is automatic: backups including your posts, updates, security and spam filtering.
WordPress.org – You need to back up your post and files, install spam filtering, and do your own updates. But there are plugins for most of these functions. For example, WordPress DB backup lets you schedule your backups and will email you the files. And WordPress versions 2.7 and above have one click updates on your dashboard. But before updating, I suggest you find a good resource to walk you through the process.
Choice of Themes
WordPress is based on Themes, or what you might consider templates.
WordPress.com – You are limited on choices of themes. There are about 70+ themes to choose from and more are added from time to time. You can search the available themes by characteristics through your dashboard.
WordPress.org – You have access to thousands of themes, both free and paid. With so many choices, you are more likely to find a theme that fits your needs, style and personal brand. And with the 2.8 version, you can upload the theme directly to your dashboard and even search themes by features.
A note on themes: There are several great, free themes out there, but understand that with paid themes you are likely to get more stable features, updates as new WordPress versions come out, and much better support.
Plugin and Widget Options
Plugins are tools to help you expand the functionality of your WordPress blog or website. Widgets are like plugins, but give you a simpler way to arrange the various elements of your sidebar content—without having to change the code.
WordPress.com – Comes with a limited number of widgets and plugins. The one widget you will find more useful is the text widget. It lets you insert html code to create a widget that otherwise is not available. For example, see this blog post I wrote on inserting a graphic image on your sidebar/widget with a link.
WordPress.org – As with themes, there are a ton of widgets and plugins available on the Web and on WordPress.org. And unlike WordPress.com, you are able to upload them to your site. A note: Research plugins and widgets on the Web to find reputable and stable ones. For instance, find out if they will still work when you upgrade to a newer version of WordPress. Also keep in mind that the more widgets and plugins you have on your site, the more it takes to run your site.
Ability to Customize
The beauty of WordPress is the ability to customize your blog or website to convey your unique brand. In both cases, your theme has its own features to customize (for example, custom headers and colors, etc.)
WordPress.com – You are limited to which customization options each available theme has (custom headers, font size, etc.) WordPress.com does have an advanced feature: for $15 a year, per theme, you can customize the CSS (cascade style sheet). This will allow much more customization options, but you must understand CSS editing.
WordPress.org – There are two parts to this. First, you can now upload so many more themes, including paid premium themes. Many of them have a wide array of custom options that don’t require CSS or html knowledge. The Thesis theme is a good example of this. The second part: If you do know CSS or html, you have complete control to change code, if you are technically minded.
There are additional differences between .com and .org, but this gives you a starting point as you decide which to use. Just remember to figure out your goals and needs and then find which option will best fit them. For simple blogs and some websites, WordPress.com will probably serve your purpose. But for more customized blogs and websites, consider putting WordPress on your own server, especially if you want the flexibility you’ll need to grow your site down the road.
A final word of caution. WordPress and other open source software has made it incredibly easy for anyone to put up a website in a short amount of time. You can make it look pretty, and feel you have created a “killer” website.
But what some developers and designers do not understand is that your website must be more than just a pretty face. Creating a site that attracts and engages your visitors involves much more. Getting traffic to your site means nothing if you do not keep visitors there, engaging them with compelling copy that gets them to click deeper and make a purchase or respond to your other calls to action. It is the combination of good development, superior design, effective SEO and warm, persuasive copywriting that will make your website capture customers and sales a in the end.
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I Survived My 2.8 Update!
Just had to do a quick post as I finally made the move to update to version 2.8. From past experience, I have found it useful not to jump on the bandwagon and update the minute the new version comes out. It’s pretty much my practice across the board with most hardware and software.
I did take the time to read other horror stories via Twitter and LinkedIn, took note of all the disappointments and frustrations, and basically, sat back and waited. Nearly 30 days later, with some of the bugs worked out, on the day after the 4th of July, I decided to take the plunge.
I anticipated similar fireworks and explosions that had been a constant for the past two days.
Fortunately, it didn’t happen.
Like a good WordPress neurotic, I:
- backed up my files (although I do use WP-Dbmanager plugin for auto updates)
- turned off all of my plugins and updated them — several had updated versions for 2.8, lucky me (and yes all 14 plugins)
- clicked my auto install update
- activated plugins again
- and presto, my site worked like a charm, and 2.8 was active
I must note that we do use a premium theme from StudioPress that survived the update without a glitch.
(Heavy sigh). Now it’s off to update client sites. So far 3 updated, and things are good.
If you updated recently, let me know how it went for you!
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WordPress 2.8 is Officially Released
As of Wed., June 10th, WordPress 2.8 is out. There are some nice new features, nothing major, but worth checking out.
If you are on WordPress.com, you are updated automatically.
If you have your WordPress on your own server, when updating, remember to:
- Backup your database and files before updating.
- If you are using a free theme or a paid premium theme, find out if they have made it WordPress 2.8-compatible. If they haven’t, try the update, but again remember to backup. If your theme has issues, upload the old files again and wait till your theme is updated before going to 2.8 again.
- If you do need to update your theme, and you had someone customize it, talk to them before installing the updated version of your theme.
- After updating, if your blog or website starts having problems, deactivate any plugins one by one to see if that is what’s causing the issue.
- Check your widgets and make sure they are working with the new version.
And finally, don’t feel you have to update right away. Make sure you eventually do it, but you don’t need to be the first one on your block!
If anyone else has suggestions or insights, please feel free to comment.
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A Peek at Some WordPress Beta 2.8 Features
WordPress Beta 2.8 has been out for a bit and I have finally taken some time to look at the new features. There’s some good stuff there! I won’t take the time to go through them all, but here are some that are worth highlighting.
THEMES
Now you can upload themes through the admin panel. In 2.7 and older, you needed to use FTP clients. And since there are a lot of WordPress users out there that don’t get “ftp” they limited themselves to the preinstalled themes. And an added benefit: now you can browse themes and search via keywords, and also apply filters too based on width, colours and columns. In addition the management of themes has improved. Before, you had to select the theme you wanted, and then either press activate or close after viewing a preview of the theme. Now you get options to activate immediately if you want, and also to delete the theme if you want as well.
WIDGETS AND PLUGINS
Although there isn’t any major change to the widget view, it it a lot cleaner and easier to use. As far as plugins, you can now edit them from within your editor. If a plugin is not working well, and you have the know how in coding, you can tweak it in order to get it working correctly.
COMMENTS
The new option to edit individual comments from the edit post selection saves a bit of time to do the standard delete, spam and reply to comments.
DASHBOARD
Again, just a bit making things a bit easier, you can now change the look of your dashboard and can set the number of columns that you want to be shown. Anything from one to four columns is allowed.
NOTE: If you are on the free WordPress.com, some of the features are not available.
So that’s just a quick preview. There is a whole bunch of other changes and improvements, but for most WordPress users, these are the one’s that will be more obvious. Not sure when we are looking at for the full release, but the Beta version does seem pretty stable. In any case, it’s just around the corner.
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9 Easy Steps to Creating a Graphic Link in Your WordPress Blog Sidebar
I don’t know how many times I have had someone ask me, “I want my logo on the sidebar of my WordPress blog. Is there an easy way to do this without knowing a coding?”
So with out further ado, here you go: (note, this is for version 2.7)
- Create a new post or page. It doesn’t matter which, since you won’t be saving it. Whatever you are more comfortable with.
- Click on the Upload/Insert “Add an Image”.
- Select the From Computer tab, and then select your logo file and upload.
- In the box, Link URL, put the web site address you want your logo to link to, (eg. http://www.yoursite.com)
- Choose thumbnail and click on inset. (You can choose a larger image and size it down, but this would be a good place to start)
- Now choose the HTML above your post box and select and copy the code. (You can either save this post as a draft or cancel it)
- Next, select appearance, then Widgets.
- Find the Text Widget, click add and find the new Text Widget on your right hand side.
- Click edit, paste your html into the box, save and presto, you now have a graphic link to your website.
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Themes, Theme and More Themes: How Do You Choose?
There are little hundreds of free and paid themes out there. So how do you choose. Here are a few things to consider while making that choice:
- Columns – there are single, 2, 3 and 4 column themes. This simply refers to the number of columns in the template.
- Fixed Width vs. Fluid Width – Fixed width is a set size that will not change. It will neither get larger or smaller. Works good if you feel the majority of your viewers may be using a smaller monitor. A fluid width will adjust according to the size of the browser window. Content will grow and expand as needed.
- Plugins Required – This simply is telling you that you will need to have certain plugins installed for the theme to work properly.
- Widget Ready – I would highly recommend this one. It means that the it will be easier to add customized widgets to your sidebar.
- Colors – Look at the site and see what colors they are using. Those same colors will be available to you.
- Full Page – This could be an option that is listed. It means that if you choose one of your pages to appear without the sidebars. This may work good for a page where more space is needed.
Many themes go beyond these features and are customizable.
Shop around, look around and ask around. And have fun!
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