Despite a lot of negative publicity surrounding the release of WordPress 2.5, it is still the number one blog software package in use at present. Like all things new, WordPress took a lot of flak for the massive changes it made to the popular blogging product.

Now that the dust has settled, a lot of users are coming to terms with the changes and even admitting, somewhat grudgingly, that most of the changes have been useful. There are still some areas that concern users, particularly the widget interface that has lost its drag and drop function between sidebars. Only one sidebar can modified at a time in the new version of the blog software package.

Positives that are being talked about are the built in plugin update function that enable quick and easy plugin updates. The inclusion of video and picture uploads are also a welcome addition. Overall, the initial poor response has been replaced with an acceptance of the new look. WordPress has little in the way of strong competition when it comes to blog software packages. Whilst the new version has done little to enhance its position, it has not hurt its overall position either.

With version 2.6 expected in the coming months, developers have assured users that some of their concerns will be addressed with improvements to the widget interface and the dashboard likely. The real downside to using WordPress as a blog software package is the constant need for updates. Having included internal plugin upgrades with version 2.5, perhaps version 2.6 could include auto updates for the blog software package itself. That would certainly help.

And with WordPress there is always more. One of the reasons that WordPress remains as the number one blog software platform is due to the fact that it stays up to date and constantly releases fixes to any known problems.

WordPress 2.5.1 has been released to block a possible security breach and patch 70 (yes 70) known bugs. These bugs include:

[sourced from WordPress.org]

• Performance improvements for the Dashboard, Write Post, and Edit Comments pages.
• Better performance for those who have many categories
• Media Uploader fixes
• An upgrade to TinyMCE 3.0.7
• Widget Administration fixes
• Various usability improvements
• Layout fixes for IE

Depending on your installation, you may be able to upgrade through your web host particularly if you are using cPanel. If not, you will need to download the upgrade and install it manually. Full instructions are available with the download.

The dust has now settled on the new WordPress 2.5 release and there has been much written about the blog software platforms new release. As with most things that go through change, there are those who absolutely hate it and there are those who love it - there are not many taking the center path.

It is very different and change always takes awhile to get used to. WordPress has been the most popular blog software platform for many years now. It has however had several drawbacks. One of the drawbacks has been the extremely slow admin speed. This has improved marginally as the reliance on Java has been reduced. The reduction in Java has resulted in many of the features undergoing radical changes.

The most notable changes are in the widgets area and in the time stamp functions. The widget re-arrangement just takes a little getting used. It does feel strange when, in this day and age when drag-n-drop is commonplace, that this function has been removed. A little patience and the new setup is manageable. As a blog software platform one of WordPress’ most useful functions for me has always been the time stamp feature. This enable you to change the time and date to create a future post.

The time stamp feature is not so obvious now. It is hidden with a little ‘edit’ link next to the time and date in the write screen. Again, once you find it and get used to it - no problems. Most of the other changes work and work well particularly the easy update of plugins. Any plugin registered through WordPress.com can quickly be updated through a single click in the plugin screen. This is a big time saver for all bloggers using WordPress as their blog software platform.

The bottom line, WordPress 2.5 is marginally faster. The change is so radical that it probably should have been a 3.0 release - WordPress has its own numbering system 0 the rationale known to only a few. As a blog platform it has little in the way of competition and that is unlikely to change anytime soon.

WordPress 2.5 has finally been released. As a blog software vehicle the improvements are quite marked and will take a little getting used to. If you need to do the upgrade yourself, don’t stress, it is a breeze taking around five to ten minutes depending on your internet connection speed. My first recommendation is to get a good file transfer program (FTP) - you will need it.

The steps are detailed at WordPress.org and are fairly straightforward.  A quick outline of what you are in for:

1. Download the upgrade and extract it to a folder on your desktop
2. Deactivate all plugins in your WordPress blog
3. Delete the wp-admin and wp-includes folder
4. Upload the replacement wp-admin and wp-includes folders
5. Upload and overwrite the contents of the WP root directory (files only) to the WP root directory on your site.
6. Upload the Default WordPress theme to the Themes folder
7. Load your  site and run the database upgrade that you are presented with
8. Reactivate your plugins - I suggest one by one checking that your blog runs smoothly after each activation
9. Done

It is that easy and so far I have not come across any drama’s. If any of your plugins are out of date you can upgrade them straight from the plugins panel. That makes for a quick, easy and smooth updating of the plugins.

The Dashboard will look a little strange but I am sure you will get used to it. All in all the upgrade process is quick and easy. As for the upgrade itself - I will get back to you on that.

WordPress 2.5 - the latest version of this popular blog software is almost ready for release - a release date will be nominated sometime over the next few days. You can however get a sneak preview by visiting WordPress. There sneak peak includes screen shots and a breakdown of some of the changes - and they appear to be major.

This release is later than first expected and although complete and ready for release, WordPress are only releasing it for final testing at present. Once they receive feedback on its stability and any bugs, they will release it to the general public. Once released, I suggest you carefully read all the upgrade instructions and make a full backup of your current blog before installing.

The WordPress blog software upgrade includes a fully redesigned dashboard and to quote WordPress:

[source] A customizable dashboard, multi-file upload, built-in galleries, one-click plugin upgrades, tag management, built-in Gravatars, full text feeds, and faster load times sound interesting? Then WordPress 2.5 might be the release for you. It’s been in the oven for a while, and we’re finally ready to open the doors a bit to give you a taste.

From the screen shots it does appear to be a much friendlier interface all over. Until I test it out I cannot comment on the load speed. That is one issue I hope they have addressed. Anyone who writes a blog will have that, at times, WordPress can be very slow when moving from one menu item to the next.

Overall it looks good. It looks fresh, the ability to develop color schemes will be nice but the functionality is going to be the most important issue. Be able to manipulate multiple items like your posts, pages or comments will be very handy.

For me, and for many others users, the most important component will be the ease of upgrade. If the upgrade is not a simple smooth process then I can see many bloggers shouting for help. If you are unsure or feel it may be a little difficult, wait a couple of weeks before upgrading. Let the masses upgrade first and learn from any of the mistakes they have made. If you do go through the upgrade, be sure to let others know of any problems and how you overcame them.

WordPress 2.5 - its overdue - but it looks like continuing the tradition of being the best blog software in the marketplace - and it is generally free - what more could you ask for.

Blog software takes on many different forms and some would argue that a widget is not software. I differ. I feel that any piece of code that is run to gain an effect is software. This widget can be used anywhere, on a blog or on a web site.

The widget I am referring to is from Ezine Articles. This widget can be formated to display short extracts from articles from whichever category you select. Every time the page is refreshed a new set of articles are displayed. Is this fresh content? When a search engine spider visits it will read the data in the widget. The next time it visits the data will have changed and so the search engine will update its data. To that end, it is fresh content - just not in the format that we are used to.

The widget can be customized when it comes to colors and sits quite nicely in your side bar. The content can be customized to fit in with the genre of your blog. This of course provides additional reading material once your visitor has finished on your site. A little tip, don’t place the widget to close to the top. You want your visitors reading your work before spotting something else and moving on to that article.

When discussing blog software most people immediately think of WordPress and other blog publisher packages. There are however other blog software packages that help your develop your posts prior to publishing. One of these software packages is Microsoft Live Writer.

I must admit to not being a big fan of all things Microsoft. About the only Microsoft tool that I use on a regular basis would be Microsoft Office, in particular Microsoft Word. When I came across Microsoft Live Writer I was quite skeptical. Now that I have given it a bit of work out I must admit to be a quiet fan. The Microsoft Word feel does it make it a lot easier to use.

Live Writer does help me write posts a little quicker. One of the nicest features is the ability to insert images from my desktop. This means I can play around with various images until I get the right feel for my post. Once I have completed my post it is a simple step to upload into my blog and publish. The graphics are uploaded at the same time and Live Writer conveniently updates the links as it goes.

Live Writer does have several drawbacks. One of blog sites simply refuses to accept posts. I know Live Writer has issues with the Bad Neighborhood plugin (there is a fix available) and perhaps it Akismet has the same effect. I haven’t had the time to disable Aksimet and test it out.

On the plus side, Live Writer is free. It is very easy to install at set up. During the setup process it will visit your blog and download the page template you are using. When you start writing your post you are writing into the template which provides for a real WYSIWYG feel. Live Writer has the standard formating tools and buttons that you find on other Microsoft products such as MS Word. The graphics interface is very good allowing you to insert graphics and fine tune them. As with MS Word, you can simply click on the graphic and drag it to where you want it. You can also click and drag to resize as well. The graphics have several different borders that can applied.

I often want to use tables within my posts and have always had difficulties with the process. Live Writer has made that a breeze.  There is a Firefox tool that can be installed as a further option. Visit a page, select some text and click on the toolbar and Live Writer opens with that text ready to edit.

Blog software is not always about the platform you are using. There are some very good blog software applications available of which Microsoft Live Writer is one. Live Writer is compatible with most of the popular blogging services.  If you have the time to play around with it then it may just make blogging that little bit better.

There is a new WordPress blog software update available that closes a potential security problem. To quote the WordPress.org release note:

[source]WordPress 2.3.3 is an urgent security release. If you have registration enabled a flaw was found in the XML-RPC implementation such that a specially crafted request would allow a user to edit posts of other users on that blog. In addition to fixing this security flaw, 2.3.3 fixes a few minor bugs. If you are interested only in the security fix, download the fixed version of xmlrpc.php and copy it over your existing xmlrpc.php. Otherwise, you can get the entire release here.

The release also advises the removal of WP-Forum plugin as that also has a security problem that is being exploited.

If you do not have registration activated then may not need this blog software update. If you do have registration enabled then consider seriously whether or not you need it. If you don’t then disable it. If you do require it then you will need the update.

If you have been installing all the WordPress blog software updates then you will only need to replace the xmlrpc.php file as advised. Otherwise you will need to do the full update.

As I understand the current situation, there will not be a 2.4 upgrade. WordPress will go straight to 2.5 for its next major blog software upgrade.

Your old posts are a blog SEO goldmine if you know how to use them. These five tips will certainly make the most use of those old posts.

Tip 1: Whenever it is appropriate link a keyword back to an old post. This post relates to Blog SEO so I can effectively link to any of the older posts that relate to that topic. I am able to create three internal links just through this post.

Tip 2: I mentioned in a previous post that a lot of blogs waste their 404 Page Not Found error. Use the page to list your top posts.

Tip 3: Write a series of posts on related topics. This not only provides the opportunity to link each page, it has the added bonus of bringing your readers back.

Tip 4: Create static info pages that you can link to on a regular basis. Don’t forget to link to your About page when appropriate.

Tip 5: Make sure your sitemap is always up to date for search engines. Create a static site map for your visitors as well. While time consuming you can list every page which becomes another internal link.

Never underestimate the value of internal links. Whilst not as powerful as inbound links, internal links increase the value of the pages linked - a quick and easy blog SEO tactic.

I have not seen this WordPress tip in many places, however I think it can be a worthy blogging tip to put into practice. If you receive a lot of trackbacks on your blog you will notice that they get mixed in with the comments. First, a simple definition of a trackback.

[source] A Trackback is one of three types of Linkbacks, methods for Web authors to request notification when somebody links to one of their documents. This enables authors to keep track of who is linking to, or referring to their articles. Some weblog software programs, such as Wordpress, Movable Type and Community Server, support automatic pingbacks where all the links in a published article can be pinged when the article is published.

So essentially a trackback is one blog advising another blog that there is a link connecting them and that the link comes from a particular article. The receiving blog pings back and it is that ping back that often ends up in the comments area. You have two choices, delete the trackback or leave it inplace. Trackbacks can be valuable for linking so it is often wise to leave the trackback in. However the trackbacks dotted through your comments make it look a little untidy. Follow these steps and our comments will not only look tidy, they will look professional. Before starting - make a copy of your comments.php file, just in case you make an error.

Step one: Open for editing your comments.php file and locate the following code.

<?php foreach ($comments as $comment) : ?> immediately after this code place this:

<?php $comment_type = get_comment_type(); ?>
<?php if($comment_type == 'comment') { ?>

Step two: locate the following piece of code:

<?php endforeach; /* end for each comment */ ?> place this code on the line before:

<?php } /* End of is_comment statement */ ?>

Step three: locate this piece of code:

<?php else : // this is displayed if there are no comments so far ?> immediately before place this code:

<h3>Trackbacks</h3>
<ol>
<?php foreach ($comments as $comment) : ?>
<?php $comment_type = get_comment_type(); ?>
<?php if($comment_type != ‘comment’) { ?>
<li><?php comment_author_link() ?></li>
<?php } ?>
<?php endforeach; ?>
</ol>

All done. Save the file and go into any post that has a mix of trackbacks and comments. This WordPress tip is easy to put into place and provides a nice neat look to your blog software.

Most blog software platforms have one deficiency in common, the inability to display an email link while hiding your email address.  There are a lot of email robots just touring around web sites collecting email addresses. The email addresses are collected into data bases and used to send out spam mail.

Some bloggers try to side step this by writing their email in long hand - you may have seen it - webmaster (at) domain-name (dot) com. This is very effective at stopping the email robot collectors, it can also deter readers from using your email service. We seem to live in a click society now - if I cannot click I won’t bother.

There are many services available that will enable  you to offer the one click email link while hiding your email address. These still rely on a piece of Java code which needs to be copied and pasted into a text box (for WordPress users). The code works by breaking the email address up into pieces that cannot be read by the mail bot. One such as service is provided by BlogFlux  - they are one of many. You simply type in your email address and they will provide you with the Java Script to place on your page.

They are effective at slowing down the incidence of email spam. Unfortunately you will never totally prevent mail bots and email spam - but the, blog software can only do so much  - a good email filter should handle the rest.

(Source) Blogger in Draft now lets you enable OpenID-based commenting, in your blogs’ Settings | Comments tab:

This is one more reason I don’t like Blogger. Instead of fixing the problem with comments, the Google-owned Blogger team is just creating one more hoop for commenters to jump through in order for you to manage your blog. If you have a Blogger blog for your business, here’s why I think you should ditch it and take up using WordPress (not WordPress.com).

OpenID is somone’s uncanny way of talking people into one universal ID for the sake of convenience. Instead of having to use a thousand different logins (one for every website you register at), just use the OpenID and you can login anywhere you want. But it won’t work that way in practice and the reason is two-fold:

• First, OpenID will make it easier for some nefarious character online to steal your identity. No matter how secure it is, there is always somebody smarter than you who will be able to crack the code and take your ID and do some damage
• If you use the same nickname and password for all of your accounts anyway then OpenID is a non-issue. It’s only an issue for people who try to use their usual ID and password only to find that someone else has already taken it at the new social site that won’t be here next week. Find one original nickname that no one else is likely to use and make that your ID. Then you can use it anywhere and you’ll never forget it.

The problem with Blogger is that WordPress.org users can’t trackback and leave comments without jumping through hoops. It’s a fact that the more difficult you make it for your readers to leave comments on your blog, the less likely they will do so. Blogger makes it too difficult for me. Since I don’t have a Blogger account, I have “prove” myself every time I want to comment on a blog post. As a result, I don’t leave comments on Blogger blogs.

That’s bad for you.

The reason you want comments on your blog is because they help you with your SEO. Every comment left on your blog is more comment on that blog post page. If I’m addressing the topic then I’m likely using your keywords too. That’s more keyword-rich content, which helps you rank better in the search engines for that blog post. Why discourage me from helping you out that way?

If you’re concerned about spam, there are other ways of controlling it. WordPress has a great way of controlling spam by allowing WordPress users (I’m talking about WordPress.org, not dot com) the ability to require user IDs and passwords, but I wouldn’t suggest doing that too much. Don’t make your readers sign in every time they want to post a comment to your blog. Instead, set your WordPress settings to require every comment to be approved by a moderator. Additionally, get the Akismet plugin and install it. It will catch about 90% of your spam and discard it so that you don’t have to look at it. Now why can’t Blogger do that?

I know calling people cheapskates sounds a little harsh, but if you are being pennywise and pound foolish, you need to rethink your blog marketing strategy.

Yesterday we talked about domain names in part 1. Today, in Part 2 we will go over blog hosting.

First let’s talk about free hosting for blogs. Blogger.com, Wordpress.com, and others will let you set up your blog on a subdomain of their domain name at no charge.

Remember the phrase there is no such thing as a free lunch. Free hosting for your blog may sound like a good idea but there are some serious drawbacks to using a free host.

1. You have to abide by their terms of service. That means they get to make the rules about what you can or cannot do on your blog. While you may have never had a problem with your blogger blog or your blog at wordpress.com or other freehost, it does not mean you will not have one in the future.

What if they decide to change their terms of service? They do not have to notify you of anything. The rules can change without notice. They can say you can’t have any advertising except adsense. They can say you cannot blog about google or wordpress. They can say anything they want because they make the rules.

With your own domain name and hosting, you get to write your own terms of service. You are in charge. You make the rules.

2. Web surveys have said publicly that 70% of the blogs on free hosting like blogger.com are spam blogs. Likely you are in the 30% of legitimate blogs, but you are associated with the spam blogs because you are on the same hosting.

Almost all spammers are going to take advantage of free hosting services. They do not want to spend any money they don’t have to. They are not investing in their business. If you are blogging professionally, you should be willing to spend money on a real hosting service for your blog.

3. Free Blog Hosting is inferior to the web hosting that is available to you. There are good hosting services out there where you have more control over your blog. FTP access for one. The ability to alter the htaccess file, permissions, etc. allows you to do more things with your blog.

4. There is no “flagging” when you have your own domain name and hosting. On blogger.com, anyone can flag your blog as spam. Anyone, including your competitors can do this. It can be just their opinion. Some people believe that any blog with any commercial purpose at all is not a legitimate blog. They will flag you because they believe they know what you should be doing on your blog.

When you get flagged, blogger.com can shut down your blog and lock you out until they have a chance to review your blog to see if it is spam. It is not innocent until proven guilty. They lock you out and you have to respond to them to ask for a review so you can get back to blogging. If it has not happened to you, it does not mean it won’t. It does happen to legitimate bloggers. Go to google groups about blogger and see all the people posting about being locked out of their blog.

At wordpress.com you can be shut down if they think your blog is too commercial. They will tell you, your blog is not a “legitimate” blog. So the admin people at wordpress.com have decided what is or is not a “legitimate” blog. If you do not conform to their idea of a “legitimate” blog, then they can shut you down. Again, on free hosting, you have absolutely no control.

Now enough about why free hosts for your blog is a bad idea. What about those of you who want to pay for your own webhosting? How do you choose the right hosting service for your blog?

Of course every business, including those whose business is blogging, has a budget they have to work with. But finding the cheapest hosting for your blog is not the answer. Hosting is a very important decision.

Hosting can even affect your seo. If your blog loads too slow, this does have an affect on how well you do in the search engines and on your visitors. Those of you who have been blogging a long time also need a lot of room for all those old posts and images you have used in the past.

Don’t be cheap when choosing a host for your blog. Every business has to have some investment to be really successful. Choose the best host for your blog and consider it part of doing business on the web.

The ultimate goal is to have your own dedicated server where you choose all the options you want your hosting to have. This can cost you as little as $200 per month and as much as $500 per month, depending on the level of hosting and service you want.

If you own or manage a lot of blogs, you definitely should be on dedicated hosting. You can assign seperate IP addresses for each blog and with some you can even choose to have a different c class for each blog you own. That means when you link one blog to another, the links will have more value.

If your busget will not allow you to go with dedicated hosting, you still need to make sure your host has certian features. And do not think because you recognize the name of the company that it is automatically better than other hosting services. GoDaddy is huge, but they are not a hosting service I would use for any blogs.

1. Shared hosting plans, especially from companies that host thousands of websites, sometimes means your blog is never truly in one place. It is served up to viewers from whatever machine has the most available bandwidth at the time.

I’m not techie enough to explain it fully, but suffice it to say, some shared hosting plans that move you around from server to server depending on their current load are not the best option. Some smaller hosting companies are better options simply because they don’t need to move you around. They don’t have the same bandwidth issues.

2. Customer Service: There are level 1, 2, and 3 techs at many hosting companies. Level 1 techs are the guys that answer the phone and when you tell them your problem, they type it into their computer and it gives them a pat response that was already written for them to say. An dmost of the time thye just say, it must be a problem on something you did because everything is fine with our hosting.

When they have no pat response, they send you to a level 2 guy that knows how to make some changes on your server and that person tries to resolve the problem. If he can’t and you are being too difficult, like making them do actual work instead of playing halo 3, they send you to a level 3 tech.

Level 3 techs are supposed to be able to do anything to the server that needs to be done. The problem is that it takes you an hour on the phone to get to one because you have to go through all the people that don’t know how to fix your problem before you get to this person.

There are some hosts that actually allow you to choose whether you have a level, 1, 2, or 3 problem and you get right to the person you need to deal with. They are rare with most hosting plans, but more readily available with dedicated hosting.

3. Windows Hosting: If you want your hosting to be worse than your operating system, you can always go with windows servers. Everytime you hire a coder to do anything, it will cost you more money. This is not an option for blog hosting in my honest opinion.

4. Databases: One question you need to ask your hosting company is how many mySQL databases can I have? You need one everytime you set up a new blog so make sure you have the capability of doing so, even on subdomains if you want to at some point.

5. Bandwidth: This is where they get you. First of all there is no such thing as unlimited bandwidth. If you are checking out a hosting company and it says unlimited bandwidth, they are lying to you. Go check out another hosting service.

A blog should not have any bandwidth issues unless you are getting 100,000 uniques per day. Make sure you check what happens if you go over your bandwidth allotment though. Do they shut down your blog with a page that says exceeded bandwidth or do they charge you an exhorbitant fee for the overage? You need to know this. The more bandwidth they offer, the better, but again, there is no such thing as unlimited bandwidth.

6. Storage Space: Web hosting companies love to tell you about all the storage space they will give you while they give you very little bandwidth. bandwidth is much more important. You really do not need near as much storage space as most of them offer to you unless you run a photo or music downlaod type blog. So don’t be too impressed by storage space. They sell way more storage space than they have because they know that rarely will anyone actually use all of their storage space anyway.

The bottom line is do not be cheap when choosing a hosting service for your blog. Choose the host that provides everything you need and one that provides good service.

Part 3 of Are You A Cheapskate will be about advertising and paid inclusion.

If you have not done so, I suggest you upgrade to the newest version of wordpress. It doesn’t take too long and security fixes are always worth having.

Before you get started, make sure you meet the minimum requirements (http://wordpress.org/about/requirements/).

Instructions for upgrading your wordpress blog here

Might as well do it now. Don’t put it off until later or if you are like me, it will never get done. I just sent an email to my coder to get this done for me as I wrote this blog post.

The other day we talked about different blogging platforms that are available to use.

Here I’m going to add one to the list because it’s unique. If you manage a forum using vBulletin, they have added the ability to integrate a blog into your forum. There is a vBulletin Wordpress Bridge explained here, but it doesn’t look easy to use.

I’d much rather use wordpress, but if I had a vBulletin forum, I’d likely go with the plugin they provide instead.

From www.bloggingtips.com

Last month, VBulletin released their first ever official add on, the VBulletin Blog. Retailing at $50 (and $20 every year thereafter), the vbulletin blogging add on is a fantastic addition for forum owners and well worth the price.

Compared to Wordpress, this blogging add on is low on features and lacks in a lot of areas. However, this add on should not be compared to a dedicated blogging script in my opinion. If you are looking to give your forum members a journal then I strongly encourage you to set $50 to the side as this is one of the best VBulletin hacks I have applied. The members in my poker forum are loving it!

Affordable Internet Marketing Services, including SEO, Pay Per Click, Blog Marketing & More! For More Info Call Expert Nick Stamoulis at: 877-295-0620.