As Rich mentioned earlier, WordPress 3.0 was just released by the Automattic crew. Here is a list of the changes to the WordPress template system as well as new tags to be used by theme and plug-in authors:
Custom Post Types plus Custom Taxonomy Improvements
Earlier we could only create Posts or Pages. But now with Custom Post Types, we can create lot more types of posts like Gallery Items, Movie Information Posts etc. which will be independent in style from a normal post. Custom taxonomies which got introduced in WordPress 2.8 got a small upgrade which now allows them to be hierarchial too just like a normal Category.
Its difficult to explain all this in a small post plus there are already awesome tutorials on this.
WordPress 3.0 is a huge release, offering one of the largest feature set upgrades in the history of the platform. The merging of single-user WordPress with WPMU is one of the most exciting, for now WP can run multiple blogs with one installation – something Movable Type has been capable of for years.
The combination of WordPress, BuddyPress and bbPress allows for the easy creation of a pretty wicked social networking site with relative ease.
A much anticipated upgrade from Matt-and-Team. WordPress 3.0 is live.
Matt Mullenweg writes:
Arm your vuvuzelas: WordPress 3.0, the thirteenth major release of WordPress and the culmination of half a year of work by 218 contributors, is now available for download (or upgrade within your dashboard).
Anyone need a blog, or two? Let us hear your thoughts on how you would employ WP3.0.
WordPress is one of the most flexible content management systems available today, making it a highly attractive solution for just about any web-based need. Notwithstanding its price tag of FREE, WordPress is an exceptional framework, capable of powering just about any site imaginable. But because of its power and complexity, WordPress is rarely ever called in to service as a tumblelog even though it is a more than able tool for the task. If you have been dieing to to lifestream on your own terms, without being tied to a hosted service like FriendFeed or Tumblr, this might be just what the doctor ordered!
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In most media organizations, content producing staff maintain something called a ‘story budget.’ It’s a running tab of ideas that allows you to document and track content being prepped for your publishing pipeline.
Like major media organizations, blogs too can put a good story budget to use in organizing posts. Whether you’ve prepared eight paragraphs for an upcoming story or just have fleeting thoughts for your next 20 stories, a story budget can help put it all in order for you.
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The most obvious aspect of a successful blog is exceptional, timely, relevant content. Your readers visit your blog or read your RSS feed because they are interested in the quality articles you post on a presumably regular basis. However, content production is not the only feature of a successful blog, especially when a team of writers is generating the blog content. One of the often under looked yet essential facets of team blogging is communication. Failure for the team to effectively and regularly communicate can lead to the destruction of a thriving venture.
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One of the hardest things new bloggers have trouble with is finding their blogging voice – that is, how a post “sounds” to the readers and ensuring it accurately portrays who you are. After all, you are an interesting person with motivating experiences which will help enrich your readers’ lives. So not only is finding your voice tricky, it is the chief ingredient for a successful blog.
Until you find your voice you are going to find yourself playing around with the wording and phrasing of your posts, perhaps spending considerable more time tweaking the way your posts sound rather than focusing on the truly important aspect of blogging – just writing. In fact, your early blogging efforts may find your voice sounding bland, too robotic, too much like Tom Brokaw on the evening news or even worse; you may have no voice whatsoever.
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Are you an organized blogger, who methodically annotates links and takes meticulous notes to be used in the pursuit of an article? Or are you the unorganized type who hastily slaps an article together through chaotic machinations, like Monday rush-hour traffic? Not sure which realm you fall under?
No matter which workflow you use, or even if you use a hybrid of both, you do have a workflow of some sort, ultimately allowing you to focus on the important task at hand – writing quality content to share with your readers.
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The decision to undertake blogging is a relatively easy decision in the grand scheme of things. Selecting a topic to write about, acquiring hosting, choosing software and a design for the site is fairly simple, especially if you have familiarity with blogging. The hardest part of maintaining a blog is writing with regularity. The difficulty level is magnified exponentially if you have a full-time job and come home to a family. How do you overcome the lack of time while sustaining your dream?
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