One of the great improvements in the new version of WordPress is the handling of pictures and other files… it’s pretty easy to insert a picture or link to a document into a post or page. One feature that’s lacking (for now) is the ability to overwrite an existing file with a new version, like if you want to replace a picture. And of course, ta daaaa! A plugin to the rescue.

WordPress Attachment Extender Plugin from Benjamin Sterling

The plugin adds a file upload field to the media editing page. I wonder if they’ll integrate it into the next version of WordPress?

There’s a new version of WordPress out - 2.5.1 - and it is sweet. The biggest change is in the admin interface… it’s been redesigned to be more user-friendly and visually appealing. It’s been rearranged, but it’s easy to get used to the new layout. My other favorite new feature is one-click plugin upgrades, which means when a new version of one of your plugins comes out, you just click the upgrade link and away you go. No muss, no fuss downloading, unzipping and uploading. Just one click!! And of course, with this type of thing you always want to be sure you have a good backup before you start upgrading either WordPress or your plugins.

The tagging feature in WordPress is really nice, too. It allows you to be more precisely classify your posts, kind of like subcategories or keywords. Once you get some tags going, you can put a “tag cloud” in your sidebar and people can browse your blog entries by clicking on the tags.

One problem I had after upgrading was uploading images, and I found out it’s a problem with Flash (since I’m running Linux, I may not have the latest and greatest). So, as usual, a plugin saved the day. I found a forum thread about the problem and the solution was down at the bottom: a plugin to disable the Flash uploader. After installing the plugin, I’m able to upload and manage files just fine.

This upgrade is definitely recommended. Your need at least PHP version 4.3 and MySQL version 4.0… any modern web host should meet or exceed those requirements. If your host doesn’t have these things, you need to think about changing web hosting. Here’s a host we like. If you need any help getting upgraded, please let us know - we’re happy to assist!

Recently I’ve worked on a site that is fairly new and not really ranking well in the search engines yet. There are several reasons for this (including lack of text on the home page), so I referred our client to the following article from The Site Wizard:

Why is My Site Not Ranking in the Search Engines?

The site in question violates several of the “rules” for getting good rankings, and I hope they’ll take my advice for improving the site.

Here’s a great site which allows you to open PDF files, add stuff, and save them with your additions.

PDF Escape

The ability to save and email your documents requires a free account.

It really is true that some of the best things in life are free. Here’s a very comprehensive list of the best free software:

Free Software - Reviews by PC Magazine

Several of the applications I use are on the Hall of Fame list… Gimp (for graphics), OpenOffice (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.), and Firefox web browser. Someday soon I’ll switch over to Ubuntu Linux for my operating system (I currently use Mepis, which is very nice and easy to use, too). Hopefully this list can help you save some money and help you be more productive!

Here’s a series of great video tutorials from Yaro Starak which shows you why and how to start your own blog.

Become a Blogger

In 10 short videos, they’ve outlined the steps you need to take to get started with your own WordPress blog, and I highly recommend giving these videos a look. And of course, if you need any help implementing any of these ideas, we’re here to help.

I’ve always had a problem with getting tables to center properly while creating valid code. The Site Wizard has come to the rescue! Here he shares an article on how to do it, with a workaround for Internet Explorer:

How To Centre a Table - from The Site Wizard

The title refers to Nvu and Komposer (two popular web page editing tools) but you should be able to follow along no matter what editor you’re using.

There’s a new version of WordPress which fixes a very serious security flaw… one that could enable one user to change other user’s posts - not good! The latest version is 2.3.3. If you need help checking your version or upgrading, please get the update here, or contact us for installation - we’re happy to help!