Some of the functionality included with the new Twitter plugin include:

The plugin is available in 28 languages.

Website tested (Royal Deer Design’s client): Agneyasingh.com
Tool used for testing: tools.pingdom.com

No caching:

Caching enabled:

Website tested (Royal Deer Design’s client): Agniputrafilms.com
Tool used for testing: tools.pingdom.com

No caching:

Caching enabled:

Here are a few awesome features to look forward too! 

WordPress also takes great pride in making sure Parker is also tailored to each user.  New perks such as eight new admin color schemes make it fun using your dashboard.  Also, choosing a new theme is better than ever.  Widget management used to be complicated, but now it’s a simple “drag” or a “scroll” and you have a handle on your widgets.

The leader for this new release is Matt Mullenweg.  There were also 188 contributors adding to the release of Parker 3.8.

This particular version will only have a timeline of 2 months. It will be the faster turnaround ever. Here are the goals for this version’s release.

Here are the suggested ideas about the version 3.8 of WordPress.

At the moment there are two teams of WordPress designers and coders working to get these new versions ready to go. If you currently use WordPress, then you will know just how exciting this will be for all of us that rely so hugely on this amazing platform. In a short about of time the new versions will be ready to use. Tentatively speaking it was released that October 7th or around the week of the 7th of October is when all WordPress users will be able to start using the newer versions.

If you are not familiar with WordPress and all of the features it can offer, now is the perfect time to check it out. WordPress is changing the world with the functionality, features, and the great support system from the WordPress community.

​This update also helps heighten security on the platform that millions use to build their personal and business websites every year. Below is a list of just a few of the resolved bugs and security updates featured in WordPress 3.5.1. For more detailed information about this update please see the official WordPress news page:

• In past versions server-side request falsification and port scanning (often using pingbacks) were possible. WordPress’s security researchers fixed this issue and removed any potential areas of vulnerability.
• Cross-site scripting issues were fixed and removed by WordPress’s security team.
• JavaScript utilized in the admin area of WordPress was updated to ensure that it always works properly.
• Post updates were made to ensure that given media (videos, photos, etc.) are not deleted once posted.
• Editor was updated to ensure that aspects of HTML coding are not changed or deleted unexpectedly.
• Media manager corrections were made to guarantee that there are no longer compatibility and workflow issues.
• Plugin warnings that appear when a plugin is potentially being misused were updated.

2012 proved to be yet another busy year for WordPress. The website recently posted, “2012: A Look Back,” which reviews the tribulations and triumphs experienced by the website over the past 12 months. Overall, WordPress had an incredibly successful year in 2012, gaining further popularity and truly claiming itself as one of the top online publishing and CMS platforms to date. Below we’ve noted just a few of the top events that took place on the renowned site in 2012 as noted in their article.

WordPress is notoriously known for constantly adding and updating their available plugins. In 2012 WordPress bettered its overall plugin directory by providing users with more in-depth reviews, stronger support, and an overall more modern look to many of the plugins appearances.

Software updates and releases are imperative if you want your CMS platform to succeed in today’s ever-changing online market. In 2012 WordPress did not disappoint with software updates and new software releases. These updates included creating a theme customizer, implementing a new gallery tool, and establishing various security updates.

For the first time ever WordPress created an area where teams can be created to focus solely on specific aspects of WordPress. Team representatives can also be established within this part of the site. This allows for representatives from different teams to work together in order to help each other gain a deeper understanding of the many elements that make up this dynamic site.

2012 brought with it an impressive 67 WordCamps across the globe. These camps benefited all types of users whether they were creating their personal website, developing one for a business, or simply wanted to know more about what WordPress has to offer. In 2013 they hope to bring even more WordCamps to an area near you.

January 18, 2012 marked the first official “Internet Blackout Day” which many online organizations took part in to protest SOPA and PIPA. WordPress was among those participanting and encouraged users to blackout their websites as well, providing plugins that would help simplify the process.

Source: http://wordpress.org/news/2013/01/2012-a-look-back/

Among the top social media sites it is no surprise that Facebook is ranked the most popular, beating out the competition by a landslide. Mobile web and PC users combined allowed Facebook to top the charts, bringing in a total of 304.9 million users this past year. Other popular social media sites noted in the study were LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, and WordPress.

With growing popularity social media sites such as these have also recently explored the idea of working with advertisers to sell ad space on their sites. Facebook was the first to explore this idea and has since been scrutinized over their decision to do so. However, though users initially complained of such a change Nielsen revealed that this change hasn’t actually deterred anyone from visiting their favorite social media website regularly. Thus, perhaps Nielsen’s study not only revealed the growing trend in social media, but also the potential lucrative perk that on-site advertisements could provide such networks.

If you’re new to blogging, or have a simple purpose in mind, you may want to start with WordPress.com. This route gives you quick and easy access to setting up an online blog. Simply sign up to begin creating your blog site free of charge. Thousands of business owners opt for this route.

Good things about WordPress.com:

• Easy way to begin blogging
• Multiple themes to choose from
• Hosting is free

Drawbacks to WordPress.com:

• $15 charge to use your own domain name (not expensive, but not free either)
• Cannot upload your own themes or plug-ins
• Cannot customize themes directly
• Cannot use it to post Adsense ads or affiliate links
• Google text ads may show on your page without your approval

In other words, if you seek the ability to customize the look and feel of you blog, the .com option may not be for you. However, if you’re starting out a hobby related or special-interest blog, WordPress.com is a great option.

WordPress.org is the place to go for downloading the open source blogging software that allows you to install, set up, and customize a site on your own hosting provider. Available to you are step-by-step instructions, free downloads, free themes, and free plug-ins.

Good things about WordPress.org:

• Ability to install any available WordPress template or plug-in
• Ability to customize your site so it doesn’t appear generic
• Complete control over the look and feel of your site

Drawbacks to WordPress.org:

• Have to provide your own web host
• You’ll need to manage your own backups
• You’ll need knowledge of how to use FTP to transfer files
• Need an understanding of how to create a MySQL database
• Need the ability to edit configuration files

The hosting issue isn’t hard to solve. There are many hosting providers that will provide this service for a nominal fee; for example, Bluehost offers hosting for $6.95/month. Also, many web development companies will provide hosting as part of their design package. Even if you are just starting out, it’s worth your while to see what web designers have to offer. You may be pleasantly surprised.

You’re probably thinking that you want the ease of .com without the technical skills required of .org. Can this be possible? Luckily, yes. Enter the third option- hosting provider easy install scripts.

Many hosting providers offer one-step installations of WordPress. Utilizing this service eliminates the need for those technical skills you may be lacking. You won’t have to create a database or configuration files. You can get started quickly and still retain the power of customizing your site later on.

Names in honor of guitarist Grant Green, WordPress 3.4 ‘Green’ has been released to users and developers. Insiders let us know that many significant improvements to a variety of components were designed while listening to Grant Green’s soulful strums. These improvements include theme customization, custom headers, Twitter embeds, and image captions.

This release means big changes for both users and developers. See below for what you can expect from the new and improved “Green.”

Users

• Theme customizer allows you to play around with the looks and settings of your current theme or a possible new theme without publishing the changes
• Some themes allow you to change colors, backgrounds, and custom image headers
• You now have the ability to browse many themes at once without paging.
• Images from your media library can now populate custom headers.
• You can choose the height and width of header images.
• Embed support now includes tweets.
• Image captions now allow HTML, such as links, in them.
• Developers
• Hundreds of technical improvements to XML-RPC, themes, and custom header APIs.
• Significant performance upgrades to WP_Query and the translation system.