Happy New Year! May your 2012 be a fabulous year.

Can you believe how quickly the last year has flashed by and that Christmas has gone already?

I hope that you have had a really fun filled Christmas and that you are ready to make this New Year a great year for you, your family and your business.

You’re probably getting back to work now that the festivities are coming to a close and, before you know it, you’ll start speeding through January and the rest of this year!

It’s a time of year that you can reflect on what’s passed and what changes you can make to improve your results for the New Year.

Reflection

Taking time out for reflection on your progress, achievements and your failures, in the previous year is great for helping you sift through what’s working for you in your business.

Have you taken time out for reflection?

2011 was an exciting and interesting year for us, personally as a family and business wise, with lots of changes happening in all areas. 2012 looks set to be just as interesting and probably a lot more exciting as the weeks and months progress.

Juggling and Implementing Change

Having started a couple of new projects at the end of last year, it was very much a case of juggling a few balls in the air at the same time as the year came to a close, plus, despite best laid plans, Christmas ‘caught me by surprise’.

I wish I could tell you that there is an easy way to keep juggling without dropping anything, but you probably know that it’s only a matter of time, perhaps due to time constraints, that you drop one or two of those balls!

Yet, now that we are into a new year, it’s time to :

• drop anything you don’t wish to continue with, or
• pick up and start where you left off, then
• plan out the action steps required, and
• implement changes

…then continue, step by step, until you finish your projects!

Enjoy a Very Happy New Year

WordPress has undergone another update to version 3.3.1 which tackles some security issues and rectifies 15 bugs that have been found in the previous new release version.

In the previous article, we covered the question of whether to upgrade or not to version 3.3 – What’s New and Should I Upgrade Now?, which you can read before making your decision to upgrade.

There is always a period of bug fixing with new releases, so you may want to wait a little while longer before you hit that upgrade button in your dashboard!

What’s New in WordPress 3.3

WP version 3.3 brings a variety of improvements that will benefit new users and the more experienced user. Briefly: Version 3.3 has significant improvements with pointer tips for new features. There’s a friendly welcome message for first-time users, and revamped help tabs throughout the interface. Additionally they have improved the dashboard experience on the iPad and other tablets with better touch support.

Some of the highlights include:

• Easier uploading with file type detection
• Drag-and-Drop Media Uploader
• New Toolbar in the dashboard, combining the Admin Bar and admin header
• Flyout menus, providing single-click access to any screen
• Help for users to navigate new features
• Dashboard welcome area for new installs

and perhaps my favourite feature so far…

• Don’t lose widgets when switching themes

Should I Upgrade to Version 3.3 Now?

The short answer is “it depends”!

Whilst it’s advisable to keep your WordPress installation up to date, there are times when you should think twice before diving in to press that very tempting ‘please update now’ link.

Is Your Theme Up To It?

If you are using one of my favourite Genesis Themes then you should know that the Genesis framework is already up to WP Version 3.3 standard.

So too are Woo Themes, although they have had user reports that the new WP drag and drop uploader is causing a bit of grief in some of their themes (they give you an easy fix).

There’s more to consider…

Have You Installed Pesky Plugins!

Love them or hate them, most WordPress website owners use them, although most use far too many or use plugins that are not actually necessary.

Plugins can help your website or blog pack a punch, help you manage things, connect things or simply make things work a little better than they might without them.

But, if you rush in to hit that ‘please update now’ link too soon, it’s possible to find that one or more of your more pesky plugins either don’t work or ‘break’ something else you didn’t want broken!

Double Check Compatibility

Your simple solution, before committing yourself to upgrading, is to :

1. double check that your framework and theme is up to date and meets the code requirements of WP Version 3.3
2. double check that your installed plugins have been upgraded to avoid conflicts with your framework, theme and other plugins

Backup and Upgrade Now

If you’ve double checked that everything is compatible, remember to backup your files and then hit the please update now link, with confidence, and enjoy your new WP experience.

have fun

Diane

ps: View WP Codex for highlighted features in WordPress Version 3.3

What’s A Busman’s Holiday?

You’ll probably have heard the saying “a busman’s holiday”. It refers to your ‘holiday, allocated or spare’ time, when you spend most of that time doing the same or something similar to your normal work.

Whether the saying actually originates from a busman taking a travel holiday by bus or not I have no idea! Do you know?

Website Designs Chester Update

Anyway, I’ve been using short pockets of what I call ‘noisy’ time in the week to start updating the design and content here at Website Designs Chester, which is akin to me taking a busman’s holiday! Or should that be mini breaks?

Despite the days passing in a flash before my eyes… OMG it’ll be Christmas before you know it… I’ve made a start, as you’ll have noticed if you’re a regular visitor, and hopefully you won’t be too confused by everything that’s changing.

If you get lost on your travels around the site and need directions, just head for the safety of the contact form!

There are links going to nowhere land at the moment, they’ll be live in due course, and all sorts of technical bits and bobs going on behind the scenes. It’s like eating an elephant – one bite at a time.

Someone is hoping I’ll change the ‘behind bars’ look to the header image, but I quite like it!

Gosh, time for me to get off my busman’s mini break and back to work!

Have fun,

Reminder: There are just 7 places left for the End of May ‘PRIMER’ WP Website Building Course Early Bird Offer – You can Pre-Register Here.

Google Making It Easy To Move Your Videos

Due to the success of YouTube, the Google Video service has become unnecessary and is being closed.

If you are a Google Video user, you’ll be happy to note that you will NOT be losing any of your video content and that the April 29 deadline has been removed. You should have received an email advising you about this .

Google announced they will “automatically migrate your Google Videos to YouTube

Any videos that you already have hosted on Google Video will remain accessible on the web and the existing links to Google Videos will still work.

How To Migrate to YouTube Now:

Click on the image above to view the described process.

1. You’ll need to have a YouTube account associated with your Google Video account.
2. In your Google Video account, tick the video(s) you want to migrate
3. Select the “Upload Videos to YouTube” option on the Google Video status page

Google state that they will “do our best to ensure your existing Google Video links continue to function“.

Follow those few simple steps and all should be well with your videos.