This article comes a bit late as Wordpress 2.7.1 has already been released and I have written about it a week ago. However, many of you aren’t so sure about what ver. 2.7 has in store for you and why you should upgrade to ver. 2.7 and above. Let me do a brief review of this powerful Wordpress version.

Bloggers from all over the world were all eyes and ears on December 10 of 2008 because version 2.7 was released. This was named after the legendary American jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane. Lots of attention was received because it has several new features and the Wordpress team claims that this version comes with a great user interface rearrangement. The Administration Panel interface is said to make Wordpress more accessible and utilizable. With quite a lot of significant new elements and designs added, many avid bloggers ask, “Is this updated version worth a try?” Let us find out.

The first thing that people noticed on this newly available WP 2.7 Coltrane is its plain and faster environment. Publishing your blog will only take a few clicks compared to the earlier versions. The Dashboard Panel has also changed. Now, it can be easily arranged. Using your mouse, just drag and drop the things you want to organize and position your favorite on top of the others. Aside from this, you can also customize every screen through clicking the “Screen Options.” Same thing applies with the dashboard modules or the write screen. For instance, if you want your posting area to be in full screen, just click the arrow on the screen. This will minimize the arrow to an icon. You can go to the write page and start dragging and dropping every module from the right column to the main one. In addition, the once-top navigation has been changed to side navigation, which will eventually allow numerous amounts of plugins. This ingenious side navigation helps users to collapse and expand sections or reveal submenus without opening a new page.

Regarding themes, several bloggers may have found that their themes do not work the way they used to when they were still using the older versions of Wordpress. Unfortunately for some, there are themes that may have been broken and will no longer work for the 2.7 Coltrane version. Do not worry, though. It is still possible that you can patch them up and use them again through updating a few settings and editing things a bit. There are also features from this new Wordpress that rely on the theme you are using. Examples are the threaded and paginated comments. The paginated comments feature is especially useful for those sites that have several comments. You can define how many comments you want to appear on every page instead of displaying hundreds of them and disinterest those who will visit your blog. This feature was already available in Wordpress but you have to download a plugin first. With this version, it is constructed into the core. The threaded comments element is for you and your blog followers to track conversations easily. Here, you can adjust the levels of those nested replies.

Many bloggers have found the new features of Wordpress 2.7 very valuable especially Sticky Posts on the write screen. This “sticky” feature enables bloggers to permanently fix a post on the front page of the blog. There is also a QuickPress module that is added to this new version. This permits bloggers to create posts or drafts quicker. If you have created a draft, it will appear in your Recent Drafts section. This will save you a lot of time as well as the Automatic Upgrade option found in the Tools menu and a plugin browser, which will enable you to install or select your choices of plugins without leaving the Wordpress site. Another big time-saver is the Mass-edit feature of Wordpress 2.7. Here, you can edit multiple pages or posts through clicking the Posts menu. You can check the boxes for the posts or pages you want to edit and then you can save the changes afterwards.

Click here for the FULL WP 2.7 review

Blogging is one of the new innovations of the Internet world. It is the new instrument or method for the general online population to convey their thoughts, ideas, products and services to the community at large.

Blogging, interestingly can be viewed in the same mould as cake baking. When the cake tastes good but is not attractive – smudged, no fancy decorations and designs, the cake will inadversely be passed off. Without the physical attraction of the cake, no one would know that the cake tastes good. The design of a blog can be viewed the same way. Without a good design, the visitors and subscribers will be kept at a minimal level.

Below are some handy tips to maximize your blog subscribers:

Make it short and simple
This is one of the best ways on how you can capture readers’ attention. Write descriptive headings for your blog post. Your content should be relevant and very timely. When posting articles, it should be within 1000 words because the more text you enter, it is possible that your visitors will be turned off. The keywords should be relevant and more usable to what is being conveyed to the readers.

Comments and Suggestions should be encouraged
A well written blog or post requires comments or suggestion as this will help to maximize the visitors. They will be interested in subscribing to your blog if it is an interactive blog that they can interact with you. Suggestions from the readers are also important because you will be able to connect with them and they can share their ideas and opinions about your blog. 

Catch readers’ attention
When you post topics on your blog it is important that you create a catchy topic. It is akin having a conversation with a friend. Use only simple and understandable language so that the readers will not be bored reading when they find words that are alien to them. Do not use jargons or big, deep words.

Build rapport with your readers
You must create a rapport or build trust with your readers. For example, if the readers leave comments on your blog, it is important that you reply them. By doing so, you are creating an online community. This is important to maintain and maximize subscribers to the blog.

These are among some of the tips that you should bear in mind when you want to increase the number of your subscribers and visitors. There are hundreds and thousands of blogs that are born all over the world everyday. The most important thing is that you must make a difference and show your readers that they are important. Constructive criticisms and feedbacks should be welcomed with opened arms. Use it to correct the flaws on the blog. With all these mentioned, you will be on your way to maximizing your blog subscribers.

Wordpress has been popularly known as a CMS program to create blogging sites. However, many has also used it for their professional business sites. In this post, I have listed 50 sites having extraordinary designs that are running on the Wordpress platform. Take a look at the designs, you’ll be amazed at the power and capabilities of what Wordpress can do!

Do you think Wordpress is just a program for blogs? Think again.

View all the 50 Wordpress Sites

If you are using ver 2.7 now, you can automatically upgrade to 2.7.1 via the Tools->Upgrade menu, or you can download the package and upgrade manually.

If you’re using Wordpress version that is below 2.7, you will need to manually download and upgrade to this new version.

2.7.1 fixes 68 tickets.  The update includes 6 tickets with a high rating and more than 50 rated as normal. The update fixes security holes and will not alter the database and should not break anything including plugins or themes.

All my themes are working well on Wordpress 2.7.1.