Seven Reasons Why Wordpress 2.8 Is Better Than Ever

Wordpress 2.8 Beta

Just when we got used to Wordpress version 2.7.1, along comes the latest version in Beta. Being a fan of all things Wordpress, I downloaded and installed this latest version to see what surprises lay in store. I’m happy to say that some updates that I had hoped and assumed would be included, have been. So let’s get into the top seven reasons why Wordpress 2.8 is better that its predecessor.

1. Upload New Wordpress Themes From Within The Admin Panel

With the introduction of 2.7, you have been able to upload plugins from within the admin panel, so it was only a matter of time before the same was going to apply to themes to. For many users this will eliminate having to use FTP clients, and by the look of a lot of Wordpress Blogs out there, this is a good thing. As well as being able to upload the themes from within the panel, you can also browse themes and search via keywords, and also apply filters too based on width, colours and columns.

2. Theme Management Improvements

In previous versions of Wordpress to change a theme, you had to select the theme you wanted, and then either press activate or close after viewing a preview of the theme. Many times this preview would not work due to various issues such as plugins or bad code. Now you get options to activate immediately if you want, and also to delete the theme if you want as well.

3. Widget Section Overhaul

Finally (again) all your sidebars are now visible on the screen, instead of having to select from the drop down box. When you have multiple sidebars this makes a lot of difference as you don’t have to try and remember what goes where. The layout is much cleaner and is a lot easier to use.

4. Ability To Edit All Plugin Files From Within The Editor

If a plugin has multiple files you can now edit each file individually. Great if a plugin is not working well with the theme that you are using, and if you know a bit of  coding, you can tweak it in order to get it to work correctly.

5. Edit Individual Comments From The Edit Post Section

Now there is the option to see any comments that have already been made below the post box at the bottom. You can do the usual things here such as delete, spam, and reply. As you can see I have been left a comment from a Viagra spammer !

6. Manage Tags

Version 2.8 brings a completely new option and you can now manage your tags from under the Posts section called (funnily enough) Post Tags. It gives you the option to create a new tag, a tag slug, and of course a description too.

7. Dashboard Changes Made Easier

By clicking on the Screen Options tab, you can now change the look of your dashboard a whole lot easier, and can set the number of columns that you want to be shown. Anything from one to four columns is allowed.

There are a whole stack of other changes and improvements from the previous version, although for most users of Wordpress, these ones will be the most noticeable by far. Not to sure how far away the full release is, although this Beta version seems pretty stable from what I can tell.

Wordpress is just getting easier  to learn, and easier to use, and that means more and more people will be turning to this awesome tool in the near future. A someone who blogs a lot and who only uses Wordpress, this version in my humble opinion is the best yet. Let me know your thoughts on Wordpress 2.8.

Tagged as: 2.7.1, 2.8, comment, dashboard, plugin, tag, theme, widget, Wordpress