The long-awaited and updated version of WordPress is finally here and is ready for download. Since it’s release a little more than a year ago, the new WP 2.0 has only undergone a series of minor security and bug fixes. However, 2.1 has a lot to offer in terms of new features.

Auto-Save: Finally, your blog posts won’t be lost by the accident click of a link. The auto-save feature runs on Ajax and does not require a page reload. However, be sure to type in a post title in order for your work to be saved.

Easier Image Uploading: Ever find that annoying little menu slightly confusing? Well you’re not alone. The new system uses simpler radio buttons and allows bloggers to edit the image attributes after it is uploaded.

New Post Editor: With 2.0’s release came the fancy post editor powered by TinyMCE. Although very useful for those unfamiliar with web languages, it was a real hassle for code-savy bloggers. The feature is now significantly improved, and offers two tabs: “Visual” and “Code.”

Privacy Features: If you’re looking to keep your blog away from the prying eyes of popular search engines or curious family members, WP 2.1 offers a feature to support many privacy options.

It is also important to note that there are many back end changes and modifications in WP 2.1. However, the only notice that readers of this blog should take is that many plugins which previously worked in WP 2.0 will not work correctly in WP 2.1 Although many have made the cut, clients should still take note of the approved 2.0/2.1 plugins before upgrading their blogs.

And, just on a side note: the new version was dubbed ”Ella" after the famous jazz vocalist, Ella Fitzgerald.

If you would like these awesome features with an upgrade to 2.1, drop us a line and we’ll add you to our work queue and take over from there!

Thank you to Technosailor’s ”10 Things You should Know About WordPress 2.1” for much of the information included in this post.

Woohoo for awesomely cool CSS websites! Blog What Design was featured today on CSS Mania. I submitted our company design a few weeks ago just hoping for a bit of luck. And voila! What a treat! We received a rating of ‘7’ and this very nice e-mail:

Site will be added to cssmania.com!
Nice job!
First nice “different” web we see this 2007!
// Gabriel

Blog What Design would like to wish you and your family a healthy and happy new year for 2007!

All the best from the BWD family!

Christian & Lara

Although I am new to the blogging community, I hope that this blog will fit right in. I am very excited about this project because blogging is something that Lara has introduced me to, and I am quickly learning all about it and the whole culture. The purpose of my blog is to talk about things that surround us everyday, but we do not necessarily take time to appreciate. There will not be a set theme for this blog; it will be about anything and everything.

On another note, Lara and I are pleased to announce that we have been asked to develop a website for the WCC of Greater Rochester, a medical group located in Rochester, NY. Lara and I are very excited for this project, as it is a large medical practice.

And so the holiday season begins! I know it’s my favorite time of the year… the cooking (cookies, roast ham, fudge oh my!), the family (you know you like sitting by the Christmas tree reminiscing with them), and the overall cheer everyone shows during this time. What’s not to love?

We’re very cheery over here at Blog What Design too. Right now I’m working on Morgan’s company website: After Eleven Apparel. I’m very excited to get things going; the design is going to be very stylized… kind of “rocker chic.” We’re also finishing up one professional project, and just taking on a new one!

I found a very cool little gadget over at problogger.net today; it’s a digital picture frame that Google has sent out to their top Adsense publishers! Pretty nifty eh? Apparently, Google hands out quite a lot of gifts during the holiday season from laptops to bean bag chairs. I need a friend like Google!

Happy Holidays!