The WordPress Podcast

As many of you are already away, the developers released RC1 (release candidate #1) shortly after Jonathan and I recorded episode 38. A release candidate is more than a beta version, but less than the final, full release version. Technically, it’s considered unreleased software and should be installed with caution only by those who understand it may be buggy, but I’ve seen it and it seems fairly stable to me. I’m even planning on installing it myself on all of my blogs.

Aaron Brazell, as he is wont to do when a new release of WordPress approaches, has posted 10 Things You Need to Know About WordPress 2.5 that covers the new admin user interface, the drastically updated menu layout and dashboard overhaul, the new Flash uploader, improved tag and timestamp management, the ability to upgrade the core and plugins, improved widget handling, custom thumbnail sizes, password strength alerts and improvements in TinyMCE and the WYSIWYG editor. Aaron’s blog is always a must-read for WordPress users, but this week doubly so.

Included in this episode:

1. WordPress 2.5 wasn’t released last week as we expected, and don’t expect it for several weeks.
2. ThemeShaper.com asked 11 prominent WordPress theme designers to predict the future.
3. WPThemeKit is a WordPress theming system where you choose from one of several htnk “blanks” representing your preferred layout of overall width, along with the number and position of sidebars.
4. WordPress is once again one of the Open Source projects chosen by Google to include in their Summer of Code for 2008.
5. Lorelle VanFossen is also jazzed about WordPress 2.5 coming to WordPress.com, details a security vulnerability for WordPress.com blogs was fixed in less than 10 minutes after initial report, Matt Mullenweg’s report that more than 800,000 blogs, or splogs, have been removed from WordPress.com, and the February Wrap-up for WordPress.com  has the latest statistics for the free blog hosting service.
6. FirstTimer Wordpress Plugin v1.0 by Bobby Handzhiev checks to see if an identifying cookie is located when a viewer views your blog, and if one if not found, displays a message you’ve written specifically for new visitors.
7. SEO Friendly Images v1.1 by Vladimir Prelovac goes throough all of the images used on your blog, checks to see if already have ALT and TITLE tags set, and generates valid XHTML tags for them based on options you’ve set.
8. MinisterMark verifies the WP Spam Blocker generates dofollow links to their site.
9. Corey Thompson points out the answer to last episode’s blogroll question.
10. Simon Jones reports back that a new service’s bot was the cause of his blog’s bandwidth problems.

 

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Oops! Jonathan and I recorded this assuming WordPress would be released March 10th, and then the day comes and goes without even a release candidate. Our bad…

Otherwise, we discussed:

1. Jonathan’s June speech at the 3rd International Plagiarism Conference at Northumbria University in Newcastle-upon-tyne, UK.
2. Charles’ presentation of WordPress for Podcasters at the New Media Expo in Las Vegas in August.
3. Continued preparation for WordCamp Dallas, March 29 and 30 in Frisco, Texas. Any attendees registering after this Friday aren’t guaranteed event t-shirts.
4. As previously mentioned, we discuss WordPress 2.5 which we’d expected to have been released to coincide with this episode.
5. Vote for WordPress in the Publishing and Photography category in the 2008 Webware 100.
6. Lorelle is away speaking to the San Francisco chapter of the Romance Writers of America, so no WordPress.com news this episode.
7. WP Spam Blocker seems useful, using AJAX and time hashes to prove your commenters are human without using CAPTCHAs, but the blatant linkage gives me pause.
8. WordPress Tweaks rolls lots of little, useful tweaks into one plugin.
9. This episodes feedback poll: “Should the podcast limit itself to purely WordPress-related news?”
10. Simon Jones asks, “Are bots are taking down my blog?”
11. Glenn Pendleton asks, “Is Install4Free on the up and up?”
12. Jonathan responds to a trackback related to U.S. copyright law.

 

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In WordPress news this week:

• How should the Codex be licensed?
• Preparations for WordCamp Dallas continue, including the decision to serve Rudy’s BBQ for Saturday’s lunch. (Which should make Matt happy.)
• Lorelle reports on WordPress.com:
  • WordPress 2.5 is coming to WordPress.com any day now, in whole or in pieces. Some of the new features can be found in Are You Ready for WordPress 2.5?
  • WordPress.com allows original content blog types covering a variety of subjects, but it does not allow scraper blogs, affiliate marketing blogs, search engine gaming blogs, or warez blogs.
• Jonathan discusses plagiarism and copyright theft, including some strategies to fight them. Some plugins mentioned in the discussion:
  • Copyright Feed: Adds a copyright notice and/or a digital fingerprint at the end of each post in the feeds.
  • AntiLeech: Produces a fake set of content especially for splogger bots that includes links back to your site and sends it only to them. When they steal this content, it appears online just like normal, except now you’ve turned the tables on them and provided them with useless content.
  • Several others.

 

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