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WordPress News: WordPress 2.7 Out on WordPress.com, WordPress 2.7 News, WordCamps, WordPress Plugins and Themes Updated

WordPress News: WordPress 2.7 Out on WordPress.com, WordPress 2.7 News, WordCamps, WordPress Plugins and Themes Updated

By now, WordPress 2.7 has been released on . The full version should be released by December 10. We’ve lots of WordPress 2.7 version news. WordPress Theme and Plugin authors need to update and ensure they are listed on the compatibility pages on the Codex. Hang on, we’ve got lots of WordPress news.

WordPress News

Things You Need to Know About WordPress 2.7: now features a Countdown to WordPress 2.7 on blogger’s Administration Panels. It is clicking off the time until WordPress 2.7 hits WordPress.com blogs.

Countdown on WordPress.com blogs for WordPress 2.7

In the announcement that WordPress 2.7 will arrive on Thursday, December 4, 2008, at 8PM Eastern Time in the United States on WordPress.com blogs, you will find all the tips and information you need to handle the transition to the new version of WordPress. Ryan Boren explained that WordPress.com users have been using WordPress 2.7 for a while without the new Administration Panel interface, which is due to arrive today.

Full Version of WordPress 2.7 Due December 10: In response to the Blog Herald announcement, Jane Wells confirms that the full version of WordPress 2.7 will be released December 10, though it could be sooner if testing on WordPress.com goes well.

Update WordPress 2.7 RC1 Now: Due to the recent security release of WordPress 2.6.5 and the stable WordPress 2.7 Release Candidate 1, it is recommended that you upgrade to RC1 so when the final WordPress 2.7 version is released, the automatic upgrade will update your version quickly and easily. For those upgrading from older versions of WordPress, see Upgrading WordPress in the , the online manual for WordPress Users, and if you need more help, see the extended upgrade instructions. After upgrading to WordPress 2.7, upgrades should be much improved and most of these instructions should be obsolete.

Preparing for WordPress 2.7: For information on upgrading to WordPress 2.7, see WordPress 2.7 Release News and Links. If you are worried about whether or not WordPress 2.7 will work with your server, Themes or Plugins, see:

WordPress 2.7 Browser Support: In the announcement of WordPress 2.7 on WordPress.com is a note regarding web browsers compatible with WordPress 2.7. It states that WordPress 2.7 uses JavaScript extensively, thus you are encouraged to use the most recent browsers, specifically FireFox 3, Google Chrome, and Safari 3. The developers continue to work on making the new interface compatible with Internet Explorer and other browsers, but you are recommended to upgrade your browsers.

WordPress 2.6.5 Released: A security release of WordPress has come out and you are highly recommended to upgrade now, rather than wait for the release of WordPress 2.7. The release version is 2.6.5, not to be confused with the malicious version, WordPress 2.6.4. WordPress 2.6.5 tackles an XSS exploit that impacts only IP-based virtual servers running Apache 2.x and three other fixes. You can upgrade the whole thing, or just the five files which have been changed.

For Those Staying with WordPress 2.6: Quick Online Tips recently featured WordPress Plugins for those who wish to stay with WordPress 2.6 which will give you much of the functionality of WordPress 2.7. Be sure and upgrade to the latest version, WordPress 2.6.5, to maintain a secure version.

WordPressMU Updated: Donncha reports that WordPressMU 2.6.5 has been released to include the XSS vulnerability fix.

WordPress Milestone Record: According to Peter Westwood, WordPress has passed the 10000th changeset by a commit from Ryan Boren, the lead programmer for WordPress development since using the Trac system. Contrats to all!

BuddyPress Scheduled for December 15: According to a note in the BuddyPress Forums, the social networking WordPress Theme especially for WordPressMU versions has a feature freeze in preparation for release on December 15, 2008, a much anticipated release.

Fake WordPress Malicious Site: Take care when searching for WordPress that you do not end up on a fake WordPress site. Wordpresz.org looks like the site but isn’t. The version of WordPress you download has malicious code in the download that opens a backdoor to your blog. If you upgraded WordPress to 2.6.4, you are running a fake version. There is no WordPress 2.6.4. The latest version is 2.6.3. This is just the first attempt and Automattic is looking at ways to keep users informed and warned, but pay attention to details and check the URL carefully before downloading WordPress.

Don’t Let WordPress Get in Your Domain Name: A number of WordPress fan and “get-rich-quick-with-WordPress” sites have been starting up lately using “WordPress” in their domain name. This is in violation of the WordPress trademark. Before you do the same, reconsider. If you find a site using WordPress in their domain name, remind them of the trademark rules so they won’t be asked later to remove it.

The WordPress Podcast: Episode 48: WordPress 2.6.5 released, Mark Jaquith on 2.7, WordPress Direct controversy is the latest episode by Charles Stricklin and Jonathan Bailey and features those topics and interview, as well as security issues, Project Icon, and more.

WordCast Podcast: WordCast 38: Of Dunkles and WordCamps included iconist Ben Dunkle and WordPress news, tips, jokes, and fun, and a lot of news from WordCamp Australia.

WordPress Weekly Podcast: WordPress In A Book is the latest WordPress Weekly Podcast, featuring Lisa Sabin Wilson, the author of “WordPress For Dummies.”

Last Week’s WordPress Wednesday News: Can’t get enough WordPress news and tips? There is so much news coming out about the latest version, so you can catch up with the past news in last week’s WordPress News: WordPress 2.7 New Login, WordCamp Australia, WordPress 2.6.5 Security Update, BuddyPress, and More.

WordPress on Your Calendar

WordPress Events CalendarWordPress Meetup or WordCamp Near You? If you are putting together a WordPress event, please email me so I can publicize it here. If there is a WordCamp near you, go. If you are interested in setting up a WordCamp, stay tuned for news and information on to bring a WordCamp event near you.

Here are some WordPress-related dates and events to put on your calendar.

Upcoming WordCamps not scheduled or confirmed:

Upcoming WordCamp and WordPress Event News

WordCamp Whistler: WordCamp Whistler January 24, 2009, will be announcing that they’ve sealed a deal with a hotel and facility with a great discount rate. Register early to ensure you get the discount. They are also seeking sponsors for this incredible WordCamp, a mix of skiing, photography, and WordPress. It is set in one of the most beautiful ski resorts in the world. There is now a Facebook event set for those wanting to sign up, as well as a WordCamp Whistler Barcamp Page.

WordCamp Chicago and WordPress Meetup in Chicago: In preparation for WordCamp Chicago, The Chicago WordPress December Meetup is scheduled for December 23, 2008. Check out the WordCamp Chicago Blog for updates and news.

WordCamp Las Vegas: The Twitter account for WordCamp Las Vegas is @lvwordcamp. WordCamp Las Vegas has announced their speaker schedule for the two day event and their speakers’ Twitter accounts for you to follow as you prepare for the WordCamp event. If you are heading to WordCamp Las Vegas, the hosting hotel, Palace Station Hotel & Casino, has a discount for lodging if you Book Online or by phone at 800.634.3101 and use the discount code PCIWCLV before December 10, 2008. Hurry before it’s too late and registration for the event is filled. There is also a WordCamp Las Vegas Live Stream you can register for to watch the event live. It’s expected to be a very exciting WordCamp with blogging and WordPress stars mingling with the stars of Vegas.

WordCamp Indonesia: WordCamp Indonesia is scheduled for January 17th-18th, 2009, at the Sahid Jaya Hotel, Jakarta. Registration is open. Sign up before it fills up. The cost is IDR 400,000.

WordCampNOLA: WordCamp NOLA 2009WordCampNOLA in New Orleans has been announced and scheduled for March 18-19, 2009.

WordCamp Milan: WordCamp Milan is now scheduled for May 22-23, 2009, in Milan, Italy.

Past WordCamp Events

WordCamp Australia News: WordCamp Australia in Sydney was November 29-30, 2008. It featured Matt Mullenweg and Jane Wells, along with top notch WordPress local folks from all around the country, including the news that WordPress 2.7 will be on WordPress.com first, followed by the full version by December 10.

WordCamp Spain: WordCamp Spain was November 29, 2008, a free event for WordPress fans in Barcelona.

See Also
Google search

WordCamps and WordPress Meetups Everywhere

WordPress Plugins and Themes News

WordPress Plugins DatabaseWordPress Theme and Plugin Authors Prepare for WordPress 2.7: If you are a WordPress Plugin or Theme author, and your Theme or Plugin will work with the new version, check to see if it is listed in the on WordPress 2.7 Plugin Compatibility and WordPress 2.7 Theme Compatibility. Users will check there before upgrading, so make sure you are on the list.

Best Practice for JavaScript in WordPress Plugins: Validimir Prelovac offers some best practices for adding JavaScript to WordPress Plugins, especially for WordPress 2.7 versions which rely heavily on JavaScripts.

Is Your WordPress Theme Ready for HTML5? The following validators will now check WordPress Theme designs for HTML 5 validation: W3C validator and Validator .nu (X)HTML5 Validator. Joseph Scott of Automattic showcases a minimal HTML 5 document as an example of the streamlined layout possible for WordPress Themes and web page designs.

UTF Character Encoding Issues: Validimir Prelovac has come up with the “ultimate solution” to the common UTF character encoding issues facing many international WordPress users, along with a variety of other solutions from the WordPress Community. The issue is due to different formats to store characters in the MySQL database. He has come up with the Modified UTF8-Sanitize WordPress Plugin to resolve this issue.

Approving Comments Outside of WordPress: All Forces has a video and script for approving comments outside of WordPress. The External Web Interface will allow someone without access to the WordPress Administration Panels to approve pending WordPress comments via XMLRPC.

Interesting WordPress Plugins:

Finding WordPress Plugins: For more WordPress Plugins see the official WordPress Plugin Directory, the WordPress Plugins Database, and Weblog Tools Collection Plugin and Theme announcements.

WordPress.com News

WordPress.com W logoBlavatars on WordPress.com: WordPress.com bloggers now have “Blavatars” – Blogs plus avatars which equal an image associated with your blog for favicons and trackback and pingback avatars. Go to the Settings panel to add a blog image.

WordPress.com November Statistics: The November Wrap-Up for WordPress.com is out and includes 315,405 blogs created and 334,578 new users. The total pageviews for all WordPress.com blogs (free and self-hosted) is 1,771,427,343, with 1,083,163,397 words published. WordPress.com bloggers made 44,265 posts via mobile devices, up from 35,016 the month before. For those using the new LinkedIn application for WordPress.com, 1,169,596 views were generated by LinkedIn profile links this month.

WordPress Techniques and Tips

Here are some interesting WordPress tips I’ve found as I explore the web looking for WordPress resources:

WordPress Tips on Twitter: I’ve started sharing WordPress Tips I’ve collected over the past couple years on Twitter at @lorelleonwp. I’ll be posting one WordPress tip link every morning (PST) covering recent versions of WordPress and WordPress usages and features.

Want to Write a WordPress Tip and See It Here? If you would like your WordPress tip and technique included in this list, see Tips For Writing Good WordPress Tips and Writing and Publishing Code In Your WordPress Blog Posts. When its ready, contact me at lorelleonwordpress@gmail.com.

WordPress Community News

WordPress Community graphicThings You Need to Know in the WordPress Community:

Past WordPress Wednesday News Reports

WordPress News Sources

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Each Wednesday on is WordPress Wednesday, featuring the news around the WordPress Community. If you have a WordPress news item or tip to suggest, please contact me at this special email address: lorelleonwordpress@gmail.com

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