WordPress 3.0 is out with a batch of new features and improvements that take it closer to being a content management system rather than a blogging platform. If you’re wondering if it’s worth the trouble of upgrading or switching from another platform, here are four resources that can help you make up your mind:
1) WordPress 3.0: The 5 Most Important New Features
Mashable has a strong guide to its new features.
2) 8 New Exciting WordPress 3.0 Features
Alex Bor focuses on eight improvements and how to use them in your site.
3) What Did You Like In WordPress 3.0?
Keith Dsouza isn’t so sure it’s all that and a bag of chips. He doesn’t have a review yet but there’s a pretty spirited discussion of the new version in the comments.
The official WordPress announcement of what you can do.
What would you like to see work better in WordPress?
WordPress 4, why upgrade wordpress, is wordpress upgrade worth it
Wanted to play around with the beta to see what was all possible – but never had the chance. These should help – thanks!
Thanks for pulling these guides together.
From my point of view, it’s always worth upgrading your WordPress installation just for security reasons.
Oh good advice. I never gave importance to security reasons. But I think I should give it more importance from now on.
Nabeel
Yes it is GOOD to upgrade but the advice I give my friends and clients is ; wait two weeks, and if its a .0 release then wait 3.
After that ;
Always run wp-db-backup plugin to back up your database weekly.
Ensure your Service provider allows you shell or sftp access and backup your wordpress wp-content directory every month ( at least ) . If you have shell access you can automate this task.
Finally when doing an upgrade check to ensure your theme is supported and check to ensure you have not had any ‘bespoke’ work done to a WP Theme since the upgrade will loose all that bespoke work.
Then if a few weeks have passed and you can see that people are not falling over with poor installation issues or brand new zero day security issues then do the upgrade.
oh and if you do the upgrade kill and empty and cached plugins before hand.
Over all , be patient.
Thanks Nicholas. The theme compatibility issue is what I worry most about.
I just upgraded mine last week…both for security reasons, and also because I’ve just gotten into WordPress, so I might as well learn the latest.
One thing I’m excited about is the multiple blog systems. I run a bunch of blogs on Blogger and want to give them better themes than what’s there now, as well as hosting it all on my server and not Google’s. I also want them to be under the same domain name, without dealing with changing DNS servers etc.
I am confused whether I should upgrade my blog to wordpress 3…..