WordPress 3.0 is live and rarin’ to go!

If you’ve been a bit out of the loop, here’s a post I wrote about some of the cool new stuff coming in 3.0.

And of course you’ll want to be ready for it – so make sure you take a look at the tips I gave for preparing for the transition.  Specifically I recommended using a plugin that helps with the backup process, so you won’t lose any valuable info if things go a wee bit kaflooey.

You’ll probably want to take a look at the official release announcement for a thorough understanding.  There is a video from Matt Mullenweg giving a “State of the Word” address, so you can understand where this release fits into the history. You might think that would be too geeky, but truthfully it is really fascinating, particularly given this is all done via open source, with volunteers. Pretty impressive.

And if you’re impressed, and grateful, that you get to use such impressive and constantly improving software for free, consider a donation to the WordPress Foundation.

Here’s a video that demonstrates the newest features and functions of WordPress 3.0.
If you have any questions, please let me know.

Oh, and if you are using the themes I recommend, from iThemes, or any of their plugins, you are good to go for 3.0.  [superemotions file="icon_cool.gif" title="Cool"]

Here’s the video:

Let me know what you think!

Related posts:

1. Are You Ready for WordPress 3.0?
2. Cool changes coming with WordPress 3.0

While “good” is often in the eye of the beholder, in this review series, I’ll let you know how easy the theme is for the end user to work with (not just the tech-savvy folks). I’ll also share a bit about what the themes can or cannot do, and why you might want to consider them.

“Save The Date” is the latest theme release from iThemes.
As you guessed, it is a wedding theme.

I admit upfront that I am a big fan of the themes from iThemes. Not just because the themes are well-designed and very professional, but also because of the level of customer support you receive from the iThemes staff, as well as the whole iThemes community. Staff and forum users are quick to jump in and answer even the most basic of questions – even questions that are really just WordPress questions and have nothing to do with the theme at all. So, in a sense, I’m reviewing the developers as well as the theme…

The Wedding Theme gets an excellent rating – in terms of appearance, ease of use, and ability to capture the essence of the individual user.

Some of the features that make this theme perfect for announcing your wedding – or any other event, for that matter:

• It’s easy to upload your rotating images – without having to figure out any convoluted page ID numbers that plague so many of the rotating image features on other themes. iThemes provides a built in image uploader so you can change the look of the front page without having to get into the code and monkey around. All you have to have are your own photos.
• You can also upload your own logo. Don’t like the wedding rings you see in the theme? No worries – just upload your own header image and you’ll be all set. Again, the easy upload feature makes this super easy – no code modifications needed. (You may have to resize your image to fit the space available.)
• All the cool image files are included – obviously you’ll want to change out the main rotating images to be ones of you and your sweetie, but the other fun images are included in photoshop format so you can edit them to your heart’s delight. Notice the fun images along the bottom – “save the date”, “rsvp”, “the proposal”…all fun and clickable – so people can rsvp online (the modern way to rsvp, dontcha know), watch a video, and learn more about the details.
• Perhaps what I like best about this theme, other than the remarkable support you get from iThemes, is that it is so easy to make it look like you. Because of the clean lines and simple, yet sophisticated layout, the theme can capture the essence of your wedding, which begins the experience for your guests long before they even arrive. If you’re a bit hippie-ish, no worries – it’s easy to reflect that with your images, videos, and text. More on the stylish and sleek side – you’re already there. Want a more country-style look? Again, the simple framework let’s you make it look exactly the way you want.

I don’t have a wedding coming up, but if I did, this is the theme I would be using to share it with the world.

Happy Blogging,

Nina!

No related posts.

Most people use free themes because, well, they are free. Makes sense, right? Why pay for something you can get for free from almost anywhere?

Well, the problem is, free isn’t always free.

In fact, free can sometimes be very costly.

Here are some costly reasons not to use free WordPress themes:

Encrypted Code – Some free themes, though not all, have encrypted code hidden within them. Sometimes this is simply to place attribution in the footer and prevent you from removing it. (If you use a free theme you should ALWAYS leave any attribution links in place. It’s the right thing to do.) But how do you know it doesn’t include malicious code intended to capture information you’d rather keep private? How do you know what the code is actually doing on your site? What is the cost of having a security breach on your site? Certainly more than “free”. Plus, sometimes the encrypted code shuts your site down if you try to make changes.

That’s definitely not “free.”

Professionally designed, premium themes do not include anything “secret” in them that negatively affects the functioning or security of your site.

Sponsored Links – sometimes theme designers will include sponsored links in their themes. A sponsored link is one that the advertiser pays to have included in the theme – usually in the footer, though sometimes in the header or sidebar. The link may be one that is paid for outright by the advertiser, or it may be an affiliate link. If you are using your blog for business purposes, you do not want have to have any sponsored links on your site – except, of course, for the companies you choose to sponsor. Not only are built-in sponsored links often irrelevant, they can also be damaging to your business reputation – either because of the nature of the company being advertised, or just the appearance of looking “cheap” by using a free theme. There’s also the possibility that sponsored links will hurt your search engine ranking. Again, what is the cost of this to you?Certainly more than “free.”

Professionally designed, premium themes do not include sponsored links – or if they are included by default, they can be changed. Some companies ask you to keep in the attribution link, or offer you a discounted price if you do. You’ll want to check the terms of the license so that you know this in advance. Every company I’ve worked with spells this out very clearly on their sales pages. Either way, you can expect NOT to have encrypted links in the theme.

WordPress Upgrades – The beauty of WordPress is not just that it is easy to use, but that it is constantly evolving and getting better. This means frequent upgrades. With a free theme, there is no guarantee that your theme will continue to work with the latest version of WordPress. The theme designer is not obligated to keep their theme up to date. Some may do so, but many do not. If you are using a theme that stops working properly when you upgrade WordPress, what is the cost to you of having your site go down? Of paying someone to figure out why it is down? Of hunting around for a new theme? Of re-doing any customizations? All I can say is Yikes!

Professionally designed, premium WordPress themes will stay up to date – and/or will specify which versions of WordPress they are compatible with. Again, this will be noted on the sales page or license agreement, so if you read before you buy, you’ll know what to expect.

Getting support and guidance – Free themes may or may not have a related support forum. It all depends. And, of course, the designer is under no obligation to provide you any support or assistance. Themes aren’t perfect . Software isn’t perfect. If you aren’t guaranteed support when something goes awry, what will you do? How much will it cost you to hire someone for help? (You can bet it will be more than the cost of a premium theme.)

When you purchase a professionally designed, premium theme, support is generally included, unless the license says otherwise. While the degree of support varies from one company to the next, you should be able to get assistance from the designer or company when something happens. They won’t provide customization, or instructions on how to customize, but any reputable company or designer will provide support for pretty much everything else that is specific to the theme. And, unless they tell you otherwise, they will provide upgrades if the latest version of WordPress causes any kinks.

I have licenses to use professionally designed, premium themes from a number of companies. It sometimes seems like I’m collecting them.

Of all of them, I believe there are 2 companies that stand head and shoulders above the rest. I love the themes from these companies not just because of how well designed they are, but also because of how easy they are to use and the remarkable level of support provided by the company.

iThemes.com has a wide range of themes with a great deal of flexibility. One of their themes is even called “Flexx” because of how flexible it is. The level, and speed, of support is incredible. In fact, it’s so strong that a whole community has built up around this company. They also offer a whole section of free tutorials.  iThemes themes are versatile, easy to use, and give you an immediate professional presence on the web. These are the themes I use most frequently with my clients.

StudioPress.com also provides impressive themes. I think the first theme license I ever purchased was from StudioPress. The support they provide is superb, and Brian Gardner, the founder, sometimes offers licenses in exchange for donations to the Susan G. Komen organization. He definitely walks his talk. (You may have noticed that a portion of all proceeds from this site are given to the Animal Protection Society.) Almost all of their themes (to date) have the look of a traditional website without all the design hassle.

And as of this writing, both companies offer life-time licenses.

All that said, I do think there are many very well-designed themes available under what is known as a creative commons license. Designers aren’t always sneaky – in fact it may be the rare exception.

I just wouldn’t want to risk it.

And the Creative Commons Organization is admirable in its commitment to expanding creativity and increasing “the body of work that is available to the public for free and legal sharing, use, repurposing, and remixing.” I’m an advocate for supporting collaboration.

If you do need to use a free theme for budget reasons, or because you want to get the hang of things before you commit to purchasing a theme, I encourage you to use one of the default themes provided by WordPress, or only use themes you know are 100% safe. (I’m not really sure how you will figure this out, and if a client of mine uses a free theme, the responsibility is theirs. I do not verify the safety of any theme I do not endorse.)

Most importantly, though, you need to look at the cost of “free” versus the $59-$100 or so you would pay for a safe, well-designed theme.

No related posts.

iThemes, one of my all-time favorite premium theme companies, is offering a live, in-person 2-day workshop in Dallas, Texas, Jan. 29 & 30 (Friday and Saturday).

–The WP Theme Bootcamp–

I just finished a 6-hour webinar training led by the same people who will lead the 2-day training.
Yes, 6 hours. On a FRIDAY, no less.
It was amazing. I don’t really think I’m all that geeky – I do ride a Harley, after all – but I was totally engaged the entire time. I can only imagine what having 2 full days with these guys will be like.

They will answer a lot of questions, including:

• How do I customize my theme with CSS and graphics?
• How do I setup and optimize WordPress?
• How do WordPress themes work and how can I take them to the next level?
• How can I leverage WordPress as a CMS? (cms = content management system)

So as you can see, it’s not just for developers. Basic users who want to know more will gain tremendously. Not just skills…but also the confidence to take steps on your own. (I know, I shouldn’t be pushing that since this is how I make a living, but it really is so great that I think it’s worth it if you have even the teensiest interest.)

Plus they’ll also cover things like:

• The keys and benefits to using WordPress as a CMS
• How to install and optimize WordPress for search engine optimization and every day use
• The best plugins to extend the power of WordPress
  
• How to backup, restore and secure your WordPress sites
• What WordPress theme files do and how they work
• Graphic design tips and tricks to personalize your WP sites
• Tips for customizing WordPress themes with CSS
  
• Using the WordPress Widgets feature to fine tune your sites for conversion

They are only accepting 50 people, so if you want to go, you’ll want to hop on the bandwagon.

It’ll be great. And I hear Dallas is beautiful in winter. [superemotions file="icon_cool.gif" title="Cool"]

Let me know if you sign up!

Related posts:

1. It’s official – I’ve joined the iThemes team
2. Is the iThemes team really that nice?
3. It’s Alive It’s Alive!…WordPress 3.0 is here