As you may be aware, if you’ve noticed that pale yellow bar at the top of your admin screen, WordPress 3.0 has arrived. Here’s the announcement that went out this morning from head WordPress guru Matt Mullenweg:
You’ve probably already seen the notice in your dashboards, so I’ll keep this one short and sweet:
http://wordpress.org/development/2010/06/thelonious/
3.0 is faster, stabler, and more secure, so you can focus on what matters (your audience) and let the rest fade to the background.
Custom post types, MU merge, menu editor, Twenty Ten theme, over 1,200 bug fixes… there’s so much to enjoy in this new release, we’re really proud of it. It’s the best WordPress yet, and available for a limited time for only free ninety nine. 😉
Tell your friends, help them upgrade, write new themes that use the new features, spread the good word.
Tour of WordPress 3.0
Should you upgrade?
Generally, keeping your site running the latest version of WordPress is a good idea; older versions of the software tend to be more vulnerable to attack. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to go ahead and click that “Please update now” link on your admin screen.
Most of the time, upgrading to a new version of WordPress is a fairly simple matter.
Most of the time.
Depending on the complexity of your site, the settings of your server, the plugins and add-ons that you’re using, and a host of other factors, upgrading can get complicated in a hurry. At the very least, you should back up your entire site and check to see if your important plugins are compatible with 3.0 before proceeding.
If you’re interested in exploring the features of the new WordPress before making the change, contact me. I’ll be setting up a testing area using the new version of WordPress, and I’d be happy to let current and future clients take a peek behind the curtain. If you’d like my help in upgrading your site to the latest and greatest, just let me know.