WordPress 3 Matures Into Content Management
WordPress, one of the most popular blogging applications, is out this week with a major update. WordPress 3.0 includes 1,217 bug fixes and a long list of new features developed with the efforts of 218 contributors.
WordPress is available as an open source download that anyone can setup and install on their own server as well as on a hosted platform at WordPress.com. According to Google (NASDAQ: GOOG),
WordPress.com is the 12th most visited site in the world, with 120 million unique visitors in April.
With the WordPress 3.0 release, the open source effort is continuing to move beyond its basic blogging system and is now including more content-management capabilities. Among the biggest changes in WordPress 3.0 is the addition of multisite capability, allowing users to deploy a single WordPress installation across multiple sites, though there are some limitations.
The multisite capability is not enabled by default and requires users to manually edit the “wp-config.php” file to start the feature. Multisite is also restricted to providing site addresses within the main domain of the site in which WordPress 3 is installed.
The WordPress codex help system notes that users will have a choice between subdomains (site1.example.com and site2.example.com) and Subdirectories (example.com/site1 and example.com/site2) for their multisite addresses.
From a management perspective, there is now a grand unified updater in WordPress 3.0, enabling users to do bulk updates for plugins and themes. In previous releases of WordPress, users had to manually update plugins and themes individually.
For the actual sites, WordPress 3 provides a number of new customization features, including the ability to display custom background and header images. From a site-navigation perspective, there are also new custom menu features. Users can now create a navigation menu that includes links to a category, page, post or external URL.
With the new Custom Post type, users can also move beyond the traditional WordPress taxonomy of blog posts and content pages. A WordPress 3 installation can now have any type of navigation naming, than taking it beyond a basic blogging platform and bringing it more in step with a traditional content management system.
WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg noted in a blog post that the immediate focus moving forward is not a WordPress 3.1 release. Instead, the WordPress development team is now going to try to improve things around the broader user experience of WordPress.
“The growth of the community has been breathtaking, including over 10.3 million downloads of version 2.9, but so much of our effort has been focused on the core software it hasn’t left much time for anything else,” Mullenweg wrote.
Mullenweg added that development efforts will look at improving the theme and plugin directories, forum and mailing lists, among other items.
“The goal of the teams isn’t going to be to make things perfect all at once, just better than they are today,” Mullenweg wrote. “We think this investment of time will give us a much stronger infrastructure to grow WordPress.org for the many tens of millions of users that will join us during the 3.X release cycle.”
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com.
Inspiration For Your Email Campaigns
Here are just a few top-class HTML email designs, selected from the Campaign Monitor customer gallery and other sources. Use these to spark your own ideas; but remember, they belong to the original designers and clients and so are not for copying.
SilverStripe 2.4 release: a significant step forward
Written by Brian Calhoun via SilverStripe.org
We’re excited to tell you that we just released SilverStripe version 2.4! This is a major new release and an important milestone for the SilverStripe community, the open source project, and our company.
SilverStripe 2.4 is the culmination of over a year’s worth of development. We fixed 391 tickets and had over 1,400 changelog entries. A large number of the patches that went into 2.4 have come from you, the community, and we’re especially happy that there’s been increasing community involvement.
Apple chief blasts Adobe’s Flash
For iPhone users who’ve been wondering whether their devices will support Flash technology for web video and games anytime soon, the answer is finally here, straight from Steve Jobs: No.
In a detailed offensive against the technology owned by Adobe Systems, Apple’s CEO wrote Thursday that Flash has too many bugs, drains batteries too quickly and is too oriented to personal computers to work on the iPhone and iPad.
This is not the first time Jobs has publicly criticised Flash, but the statement was his clearest, most definitive – and longest – on the subject.
In his 1,685-word “Thoughts on Flash,” Jobs laid out his reasons for excluding Flash – the most widely used vehicle for videos and games on the internet – from Apple’s blockbuster handheld devices.
He cited “reliability, security and performance,” and the fact that Flash was designed “for PCs using mice, not for touch screens using fingers” as some of the reasons Apple will continue to keep the program off its devices.
But he said the most important reason is Flash puts a third party between Apple and software developers. In other words, developers can take advantage of improvements from Apple only if Adobe upgrades its own software, Jobs wrote.
Adobe representatives did not have an immediate comment Thursday. But in a March 23 conference call, President and CEO Shantanu Narayen said his company is “committed to bringing Flash to any platform on which there is a screen.”
That certainly includes Apple’s devices, and Narayen said at the time the Flash ban “has nothing to do with technology.”
“It’s an Apple issue and I think you’ll have to check with them on that,” he said.
Adobe has owned Flash since buying its creator, Macromedia., in 2005. Flash is one of the slew of software tools Adobe sells to professional designers and web developers as part of its Creative Suite software package, which also includes Photoshop, Illustrator and other programs, and brings in more than half of Adobe’s revenue. Adobe benefits from Flash’s wide use because it means web developers will keep buying the tools they need to create Flash content.
Apple has been criticised for the omission of Flash because that limits what the iPhone can do. Hulu.com, the popular video viewing site, uses Flash, for example, as do many restaurant websites. But thanks to the immense popularity of the iPhone, game and application developers are pouring their creations on to Apple’s devices without using Flash.
“And the 200,000 apps on Apple’s App Store proves that Flash isn’t necessary for tens of thousands of developers to create graphically rich applications, including games,” he wrote.
For consumers, Apple’s move means they will have to decide whether or not they want Flash content, and if they do, they’ll have to use devices other than Apple’s.
“It doesn’t mean this is the end of Flash,” said Sheri McLeish, an analyst with Forrester Research. “Apple is not the only game in town, and PC and Windows devices continue to dominate the market.”
She called Apple’s move a business decision, even though Jobs stressed it is based on technology: It is, after all, up to Apple to control how users experience its products.
“They have the momentum to do it today,” McLeish said. “A few years ago they wouldn’t have been able to.”
Although many websites use Flash to display videos, animation and internet ads, this may change in the years to come. HTML5, a new web standard – that is, a way to create web pages – will have built-in support for video and audio files.
But it could take as long as 10 years for HTML5 to be fully adopted, McLeish said. What Apple is banking on is that HTML5 will eventually win out, making Flash obsolete.
“Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind,” Jobs wrote.
AP
Stop designing websites, start designing posters!
A new generation of websites are emerging that look less like websites and more like posters. They are easy to use, visually engaging and most of all different.
Sometimes I think I am deeply conflicted. On one side I am always going on about how print is not like the web and web designers need to stick to conventions.
On the other hand I feel inspired to be more creative in my work and take some risks. I am bored with the same old approach to websites.
Too many websites look the same as their competition. If you want users to remember your site it needs to stand out from the crowd.
How then can we be different and yet still ensure our websites are usable?
Looking to the poster for inspiration
One way to remain usable and yet be different, is to look for inspiration beyond the web. For example, look at print designs that have to grab people’s attention and communicate a lot of information quickly.
One example of this is printed posters.
Posters have to be:
- Visually attractive in order to grab attention.
- Easy to take in at a glance
- Provide more information to the more interested reader
In other words they need to be…
- Engaging
- Usable
- Scanable
- Have a clear information hierarchy
Sound familiar? Websites face exactly the same challenges.
Take a look at these posters below. Each is visually striking, provides key information first but has additional information for those interested. This is how we should approach web design.
Using poster design on the web
You maybe looking at these and wondering how this approach can be applied to the web. After all, they don’t have much in the way of content.
Setting aside the fact that most websites have far too much content and need to be simplified, it is not impossible even with more content.
In fact a lot of web designers have already taken inspiration from poster design. Here are just a few from my inspiration library.
Flourish Web Design
Groovy Web Design
Kitschen Sink
Samsung
Lana Landis
Finch
Carsonified Events
Noel Design
Personally I find this new generation of websites encouraging. It demonstrates an advance in the aesthetics of the web without undermining the principles of usability.
These designers should be commended for their desire to push the boundaries of traditional web design and for looking beyond the web for inspiration. They should be commended for rejecting the myth of the fold.
Article by Paul Boag
Top business figures in bold broadband bid
Several of New Zealand’s key innovators have launched a $900 million bid to build an international fibre cable across the Pacific that aims to give virtually unlimited high speed broadband for New Zealand and Australia.
Pacific Fibre includes Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall, TradeMe creator Sam Morgan and software entrepreneur Rod Drury, who said they aim to break the digital divide between New Zealand, Australia and the rest of the world.
It puts them head-to-head with the bigger Southern Cross Cable network part-owned by Telecom New Zealand.
They say they have broad quotes for $900 million but believe they can get it cheaper.
“We desperately need a cable that is not purely based on profit maximisation, but on delivering unconstrained international bandwidth to everybody, and so we’ve decided to see whether we can do it ourselves,”
says Sam Morgan, who is also a director of Fairfax Media, owners of Stuff.
Tindall said there were billions of dollars in economic potential by unleashing the internet.
“This is a bold vision which, as realists, we know will not be easy to deliver, it will take a huge effort to complete, and has many risks. While we have completed early feasibility work it is essential for people to know we now need to determine the level of interest from potential partners before we go to the next stage of a full business case, risk assessment and proof of concept to take to investors and bankers,” he said.
Other founders include Mark Rushworth, former Vodafone Chief Marketing Officer, technology industry veteran John Humphrey, and strategy consultant and entrepreneur Lance Wiggs.
The group is looking to secure funding and build a 5.12 Terabits/sec capacity fibre cable to be ready in 2013 connecting Australia, New Zealand and the USA – the initial proposal is a cable which will deliver five times the capacity of the existing Southern Cross system.
Stephen Tindall commented: “The New Zealand Institute identified billions of dollars in economic potential by unleashing the internet, and it is beyond time to address the issue. This is necessary and basic infrastructure – we must decrease the distance between New Zealand and the international markets. Doing so will be incredibly valuable for New Zealand and Australian businesses and consumers. If we are able to deliver on this cable this it could be as valuable to our NZ economy as the quantum leap refrigerated ships were to our export trade many years ago.”
Tindall said they realise the risks are large.
“We have released this news today primarily to ensure that any parties who are interested in this space have an opportunity to speak with us during this early planning phase.”
Pacific Fibre aim is to deliver the highest capacity and lowest latency international internet service to Australia and New Zealand by connecting Australia and New Zealand to the USA with 13,000 km of cable.
The cable from New Zealand to the USA would be direct, substantially reducing the distance versus existing cables, and thus delivering lower latency, or lag, associated with the cable.
Drury said they were seeing a growing digital divide between New Zealand and the rest of the world.
“We need this infrastructure if we are serious about growing international businesses from New Zealand,” Drury said.
“The introduction of a new cable would drive competition and capacity in the international bandwidth market, building on the success of the Southern Cross cable, which was critical for New Zealand when it was built 10 years ago.
“This proposed cable would provide internet service providers and large and small businesses with a major boost in capacity and speed, but also give the extra redundancy that another cable provides.”
Rushworth said 90 percent of New Zealand internet traffic went offshore, so a major boost in international capacity is needed.
“The situation is bad now and only going to get worse as the New Zealand Ultra-Fast Broadband initiative and the Australian National Broadband Network start delivering fibre to the premise,” Rushworth said.
“We are seeing a huge increase in demand from consumers and businesses driven by the use of video which is increasing in resolution and use.”
Grandparents expected to be able to Skype video their grandchildren from now on – and in high density.
“But mostly we want to unleash that creative talent New Zealand has, and be on a level footing with the rest of the world.”
State owned enterprise Kordia, which planning a trans-Tasman fibre optic cable, has welcomed the proposal.
Kordia CEO Geoff Hunt says they have been in discussions with Drury and others over the past few months.
“It’ll take more than a lone player to make that happen by 2012,” says Hunt.
“Pacific Fibre is planning to work with reputable partners and a strong team to deliver this project on time,” says Hunt.
“With the preparatory work that we have already completed on the Auckland to Sydney OptiKor cable, it makes sense for Kordia to team up with Pacific Fibre.”
By MICHAEL FIELD – BusinessDay.co.nz
New Zealand’s Internet Filter Goes Live
The Department of Internal Affairs’ (DIA) internet filter is now operational and is being used by internet providers (ISPs) Maxnet and Watchdog.
Thomas Beagle, spokesperson for online freedom lobby Tech Liberty says he’s
“very disappointed that the filter is now running, it’s a sad day for the New Zealand internet”.
He told Computerworld the filter went live on February 1 but DIA has delayed announcing that until it held a meeting with its Independent Reference Group. He says he’s disappointed the launch was conducted in such a “stealthy mode”.
The manager of the Department of Internal Affairs’ Censorship Compliance Unit, Steve O’Brien, denies any subterfuge in the launch, saying the trial has been going on for two years and that has been communicated to media for “quite some time”.
“The Independent Reference Group has met and the filter system processes were demonstrated as set out in the code of practice, that is that the website filtering system prevents access to known websites containing images of child sexual abuse,” says O’Brien.
Beagle says the DIA refuses to say which other ISPs will be joining the filter, claiming the right to negotiate in secret.
However, Tech Liberty understands that Telstra Clear, Telecom and Vodafone have said they will implement the filter, with Orcon, Slingshot and Natcom saying that they won’t.
Vodafone spokesman Paul Brislen says Vodafone took part in the filter trial and is awaiting word from the DIA about the next steps. The company will likely use the filter, he says, and when it does customers will be informed.
Orcon CEO Scott Bartlett says it is not true to say Orcon will not be taking part.
“We are still working with officials to fully evaluate this and ensure it doesn’t impact on our customers’ experience,” he says.
O’Brien says there is no compulsion for ISPs to tell their customers their internet service is being filtered.
“It’s a voluntary system and there’s no legislation,” he says, adding he understands the ISPs currently on the system have informed their customers.
David Zanetti, technical spokesperson for Tech Liberty, says he fears the stability of the New Zealand internet will be at risk.
“It is a single point of failure, introduces a new and very tempting target for hackers, and by diverting traffic will cause issues with modern internet applications.”
O’Brien, however, says ISPs are being brought on gradually in a staggered way.
Tech Liberty says it is also concerned about the expansion of government powers represented by the filter.
TechLiberty says the list of what is filtered is kept secret, in direct contrast to the rest of New Zealand’s censorship regime where the Chief Censor must publish decisions banning offensive material.
O’Brien says the Department is writing to all ISPs advising them that the filter is available to them and they will be brought on gradually.
“We anticipate all major ISPs will embrace this development as they have the many other filters they employ on the internet for a range of purposes.
“The Digital Child Exploitation filter provides them with the means to prevent their customers from accessing these illegal websites, inadvertently or otherwise and will assist in raising awareness of the worldwide problem of child sexual exploitation.”
He says trials over two years showed that the filter does not affect the speed or stability of the internet and participating ISPs are happy with the performance of the system.
By ROB O’NEILL – Computerworld
YouTube to Drop Support For IE6 Starting Next Month
The end is nigh! We’ve known this was imminent, but come March 13, 2010, YouTube will no longer officially support Internet Explorer 6.
Ars Technica found the specific date buried in a YouTube Help item pertaining to browser support. Under the section header, “When does older browser support end for YouTube and what does this mean?,” it reads:
“Support stops on March 13th. Stopped support essentially means that some future features on YouTube will be rolled out that won’t work in older browsers.”
The support entry also details that Google’s YouTube will notify site visitors of the change in browser support by displaying an interstitial every two weeks — indefinitely until the user upgrades — that will serve as a very blatant visual reminder and encourage IE6 browsers to upgrade accordingly.
The interstitial (as seen below) will appear in place of the video in question and warn, “On March 13, we are dropping support for your browser. You’ll still be able to watch videos after that date, but new features may not work properly.” The interstitial also suggests alternative browsers — Google Chrome, Opera 10, IE8, Safari 4 and Firefox 3.6 — in lieu of IE6.
Of course we already know that effective March 1, 2010, Google will begin to phase out support for IE6 in Google Docs and Google Site. Now we can add another Google product to the March IE6 phase-out strategy.
Google is not alone in its mission to kill off the antiquated browser; various governments and the web as a whole have united against the browser due to its inflexibility (supporting the browser is becoming more of a challenge) and potential security risks.
Useful Web Design Proposal Resources, Tools and Apps
Lets face it there is no enjoyment in writing a proposals. You became a web designer to build web sites, no one thought to mention anything about the processes you would have to follow to find new contracts and clients. Unfortunately, web design proposals are one of those essential processes you have to learn, and learn well.
The biggest question I have asked myself in the past is – “Are they really worth all this hassle?” The answer sadly is YES, they are.
A client contacts you regarding a new web site, you will discuss it first, you will then ask him to fill out a project questionnaire, and then they they will no doubt ask “How much will that cost?”. You will have to explain to them that you will have to analyze the details of the project and that you will be in touch in a few days with the report.
Now, it is those details that clients like. It is those details that will decide whether you get the contract or not. Not only will you have to convey, within the proposal, a comprehensive account of the processes involved in developing the project, you will also have to convince them that you know exactly what you are doing and that you are the best person for the job. It has to build your clients confidence from the start and allow them to trust your expertise.
In this post you will find resources to help you write a successful web design proposal, that will help you to win contracts every time…. or at least most of the time!
What are your thoughts on web design proposals? What tips do you have? Please leave a comment and share your experiences.
15 Sites for Learning and Mastering SEO
Here are 15 SEO blogs that you should read if you are interesting in mastering SEO:
15 SEO Blogs You Should Read
Some of these blogs will help you learn the basics of how search engines work, and others will keep you up-to-date on what’s new in search space. I’ve included a brief excerpt from each one to give you an idea of what these blogs are all about.
Go ahead and add these blogs to your feed reader and get ready to dominate search engines with rankings that will be hard to beat. These blogs aren’t mentioned in any particular order.
- Matt Cutts: Matt Cutts joined Google in 2000 and currently leads Google’s webspam team. Matt wrote the first version of Safesearch, Google’s family filter.
- Search Engine Land: Search Engine Land is a news and information site covering search engine marketing, searching issues and the search engine industry. The site is led by journalist Danny Sullivan, who has been covering search for the past 11 years.
- Michael Gray: Michael Gray became involved in web development and website management in 1998. He was Webmaster for a major specialty retailer, helping create their website presence and growing their online sales from less than $10,000 a month to over $25 million in annual web sales. Michael has been involved with affiliate marketing campaigns for several years and does consulting work on a variety of topics such as SEO, Social Media and Blog Management.
- Search Engine Roundtable : The purpose behind the Search Engine Roundtable is to report on the most interesting threads taking place at the SEM (Search Engine Marketing) forums. By enlisting some of the most recognized names at those forums, the Roundtable is able to not only report on these outstanding threads, but also to provide a synopsis that provides greater detail into those threads.Note: Search Engine Roundtable turned six on Dec. 2nd. Head over and wish them a happy belated birthday!
- SEOmoz: SEOmoz provides companies around the world with consulting, Internet marketing and search engine optimization services. With over 55,000 subscribers, SEOmoz is one of the most popular blogs when it comes to search engines.
- Search Engine Marketing Blog: RedFly Marketing (company that runs search engine marketing blog) is a full service search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), and online advertising company based in Dublin, Ireland.
- Search Engine Watch: Search Engine Watch provides tips and information about searching the web, analysis of the search engine industry and help to site owners trying to improve their ability to be found in search engines.
- Search Engine Journal: Search Engine Journal, established in 2003, is a six year old publication of Search & Social Media, LLC, which specializes in a community approach to the reporting of search engine news & the sharing of Search Engine Marketing knowledge & tactics.
- Blogstorm: Blogstorm is the UK’s largest blog discussing internet marketing and search engine optimisation news & strategies. Patrick is Director of Search at Branded3, a Leeds based full service digital agency specializing in search engine optimization and social media marketing as well as building and designing websites and applications.
- Search Engine Marketing Group: The Search Engine Marketing Group was founded in early 2006 by serial entrepreneur Gerald Weber. What started as a Houston website consulting and design firm has quickly grown into one of the leading Houston search engine marketing companies.
- SEO Scoop: SEO Scoop is a community oriented search engine optimization blog, enabling a group of SEOs to share search engine optimization experience and theories with other interested SEOs.
- Blue Hat SEO: BlueHatSEO.com is the only website on the Internet that is completely dedicated to the art of Advanced SEO. Blue Hat SEO is essentially the study of advanced Internet marketing and search engine optimization techniques. Blue Hat SEO covers the advanced knowledge of both Black Hat and White Hat SEO.
- Daily SEO Blog: You can find practical, jargon free SEO tips here that you can take back home and implement on your site. Most of the articles featured here are the outcome of Mani Karthik’s experiences with the SEO learning process.
- SEO 2.0: Tadeusz Szewczyk alias “Tad Chef” is Germany’s most notorious white hat SEO, assaulting outdated SEO practices since 2004. He has been messing with the Internet since 1997 and therefore has all the scars of a web developer.
- Ask Kalena: AskKalena.com is a search engine advice column where users send their search related questions. Kalena Jordan is one of the original search engine blog writers who describes herself as “the search industry’s first agony aunt.”