WordPress.org came out with a new update to their software: WordPress 3.5. Each time a major release comes out, they dedicate it to a Jazz musician. This one is dedicated to the drummer Elvin Jones. Here is a short video from WordPress.org folks with highlights of the new version: Here is what they are saying at WordPress.org about this new release:
“If you’ve been around WordPress a while, the most dramatic new change you’ll notice is a completely re-imagined flow for uploading photos and creating galleries. Media has long been a friction point and we’ve listened hard and given a lot of thought into crafting this new system. 3.5 includes a new default theme, Twenty Twelve, which has a very clean mobile-first responsive design and works fantastic as a base for a CMS site. Finally we’ve spent a lot of time refreshing the styles of the dashboard, updating everything to be Retina-ready with beautiful high resolution graphics, a new color picker, and streamlining a couple of fewer-used sections of the admin.”
Here are the steps I go through to Update WordPress: Before I do ANYTHING, I wait a few days for the dust to settle and see if a newer version has come out. i.e. 3.5.1 1) First, I backup my WordPress Website with The Backup Plugin (http://www.christinasresources.com/backupbuddy my link for Backup Buddy) This is the fastest, simplest, easiest way to backup your WordPress websites. I love it because it’ backs everything up ! Plus it makes it easy to restore or copy your site to another location. 2) Second, I update my plugins before I update to the latest WordPress 3) Third, I update the WordPress Software from inside the admin dashboard. 4) Fourth, I check to see if any plugins can be updated if they compatible with the latest version of WordPress. If so I update those. Generally this can take a few days while the plugin programmers update their plugins. 5) Fifth, I click around my site in the admin to check out the new features, and then I click around on the outside of my site to make sure everything looks ok. It’s also very important to have a hosting company that understands how to handle WordPress. I have found that Blue Host (http://www.ChristinasResources.com/bluehost my link) to be the best at this! They know a lot about WordPress, and can explain things to you in simple English on the phone. I’ll be teaching this new version of WordPress in my next Website Creation Workshop Coaching Program coming out in February 2013!
Thanks a lot Christina!
Very useful and interesting information 🙂
Kind regards,
Helle-Sofia
DK
Yes, it’s pretty cool!
Here are some of the big changes:
1- New Media Library and Gallery Function
2- the new 2012 responsive Theme is pre-installed
3- The text editor vs the old ‘html’ tag
4 – Favorites plugin feature from wordpress.org logins
5- new color picker
6 – no more ‘links’ or blogroll area on new installs (good riddance! it was way too confusing)
7 – retina display for big monitors
Thanks Christina for the summary of updates! I’m working on redoing my New Market BBQ site finally and building a new one for a new business venture, so this really helps! Appreciate you!
Libby,
Email me the link to your new site once it’s done!
Thank you for keeping us updated!
Kymberly,
My pleasure! Love your gravatar pic 🙂
Christina,
Great information as always, especially backing up before you do anything. Too many folks just click on the new update with little thought of
oops, hit the return to soon.
Anyway, with little thought of anything going wrong.