Hello all,

I wrote here about upgrading to wordpress 2.8.   And if you follow my directions, you will be able to log out and log back into your blog no problem.  However, if you leave the plugins active, you will likely not be allowed back into your blog once you log out.  You will need to erase/rename the offending plugin from your wp-includes/plugins directory.

***There is a conflict with the Google Analytics plugin that we provide to most blogs when we install them.

To resolve this conflict:

1. Please deactivate this plugin
2. Install “Google Analytics for WordPress” by Joost DeValk.  It is compatible with 2.8 and Joost has been a part of the WordPress community for as long as I have, and I trust him to keep this plugin up to date.
3. These plugins are completely FREE, so if you desire, you can donate a cup of coffee here.

If this is the plugin you currently have, then be sure to upgrade to the latest version before you upgrade your blog.  And then, if you haven’t already, you too may want to make a small donation.

Have you played around in WordPress 2.8 yet?  Oh, c’mon I’m not the only one who likes a fresh new toy, am I?  Especially one that’s FREE!  If not, here’s a list of things to do first:

1. Take in the View:
   Go the Appearance Panel – look at the *brand new* Add New Themes selection!  Go ahead – click it!  You can upload themes as you wish, and it will not change the appearance of your blog, until you “Activate” it.  Don’t upload more than 15 – 20 though, as this could start to affect the speed of your blog.
2. Get Organized!!
   Have a peek at the Plugins Panel.  I love the new list – all alphabetical, with links to the plugin’s home page, author’s web page, settings page, edit, and the activate/deactivate link.  And it’s all so pretty!

3. Re-arrange the Sidebar
   The biggest change is in the Appearance >> Widgets panel.  You can now drag and drop widgets between sidebars.  And, you can even drag a widget out of the sidebar and save the settings!  So if you want to use that widget in the future, it is still right there.   You can edit the widgets “on the fly” which means that there is no “update” button at the bottom of the sidebar to click.  Once you click on “save” in the widget itself, it is really, truly, saved. Another little tweak – you can use a widget more than once.  No more restrictions!
   
   
4. Move the Furniture!!
   Now take a look at the top of your admin screen, to the right:  “Screen Options”.  Click on that and check out the new options on nearly every page!  You have to check out the Dashboard screen options: you can select up to 4 columns and nearly every box in that dashboard has its own set of configurations.
   
   
5. Play!!
   Here are the rules:  sign out.
   Okay.  Ready?
   Sign back in.
   Did you see how FAST that was? I know.  Makes ya want to do it again, doesn’t it?  Go ahead.  I’ll wait.

And YES – please DO upgrade your WordPress to 2.8 with the CLICK of a button!  How cool is that? If you haven`t yet upgraded to 2.7 then you won`t be able to do the automatic upgrade, yet. For $20 we`ll put you on WordPress 2.8 and then you`ll never have to pay for an upgrade again!

The deets:

1. Go to your `settings`panel and find `WP DB Backup`and be sure that you have the latest backup on your computer, or emailed to you.
2. Go to your plugins panel and select all plugins
3. From `Bulk Actions`deactivate all.
4. Click on the `Please Update Now`in the admin bar in your admin panels.
5. That`s it!!

Cheers my friends,
Cathy

In this Series:

1. Why is my sidebar swinging below my content?
2. Sidebar Fix #1: the < p > tag
3. Sidebar Fix #2: the < break > tag

This post is the third in a series called, “Save the Sidebar!”  Click on the button below to start at the beginning!

A lot of you use <br> tags to accomplish a space between sidebar items.  Although this will work, it will interfere with validating your site, it will probably be deprecated pretty soon, AND it doesn’t make very good use of your time.

Did you know that if you add the proper HTML tags, you can style everything with ONE line in the stylesheet?  <– if that sounds like complete geekeze to you – do not fear!  This is only my way of convincing you to do it properly. If the reasons why don’t make sense to you, then just do it my way ’cause I said somovingrightalong.

So, if you happen to want a line break in between your images, you can REMOVE the <br> tags, and add the proper tags depending on what you are trying to accomplish.  Do you want a new paragraph?  Then use a <p> tag.  Do you want a list of items with each item on its own line?  Then use <li> tags.  M’kay?

If, in the rare case, you actually do want a ’soft return’ or line break, as opposed to a ‘hard return’ or new line, then this is the occasion for a <br> tag.  Here’s how to use it:

As with all other HTML tags, it requires a beginning and an END.  So please, for the love of all your techy friends, use this tag: <br />.    The line breaking tag doesn’t surround anything.  Rather it defines an action.  So you can use this, and include the ending slash right in the tag.  This is very similar to the <img> tag.

For some reason I can NEVER remember where to put that end slash.  I have to look it up every time!  Anybody have an easy-to-remember trick for me?

Next time – we discuss what on earth I mean by <li> tags…

Happy Blogging,

Cathy