“Clicking Reply automatically approves a comment and displays an area for you to type a reply in,” says Greg on the WordPress.com blog. “When you’re done, just click Reply and you can get back to whatever you were working on, without having to navigate to the dashboard to manage your comments.”

If you use threaded comments, you’ll see when a person responds directly to you in the notification.

Comments can still be managed from the dashboard, of course.

This is just the newest in a series of recent improvements to the WordPress.com experience. A couple weeks ago, they launched a Chrome extension, giving users the ability to use WordPress.com from other sites.

Last month, they upped the storage limit.

Every now and then, a post comes along that’s meant for big things. It could be pulling the wraps off your new project, promoting your next show, raising awareness for a cause, or just sharing a truly incredible photo.

Today you’ll have a new option to Highlight those extra-important posts. For one dollar, your post will stand out in the Dashboard with a customizable sticker to make sure your followers take notice!

Interesting monetization strategy. A buck for a customizable sticker.

I’m not sure how much this will help items stand out. Tumblr already gives you options to create very visual posts, with images (including animated gifs) and videos.

I guess anything you can do to stand out will help. Tumblr is getting 15 billion pageviews a month these days, so you might as well do what you can, if it’s worth it to you.

Here are the options Tumblr gives you:

Avid today announced the release of its first video editing application for the iPad—Avid Studio, available immediately at the Apple App Store. In other words, Avid Studio is taking on iMovie on Apple’s turf.

Here’s what they have to say about Avid Studio:

Avid Studio for iPad allows users to begin editing with ease by offering access to any videos, photos and audio already in their iPad library, or media that can be imported from iTunes, cameras and more. Users can then arrange clips in the Storyboard, make precision edits using the Timeline, and enhance their movie creations with high-quality transitions, effects and a soundtrack. They can then share movies directly to YouTube, Facebook and more—or export projects to Avid Studio software, where they can continue editing with even more advanced tools on their PC. In addition, editing enthusiasts can get started fast with an easy-to-understand how-to guide, included with the app.

Unfortunately, users report that performance on the iPad 1  is terrible.

“With a 64GB wifi Ipad 1 with 40% free it crashes repeatedly and it would not render even the small size of a small test video,” notes an early user.

If you’ve given Avid Studio for the iPad a try, let us know what you think!

Features:

• Precision Editing Tools: Avid Studio for iPad is the only app to offer a unique combination of Storyboard and Timeline features, allowing users to arrange clips in the Storyboard, then edit like a pro with the precision of the Timeline, which offers frame-by-frame trimming capability. Avid Studio for iPad also takes full advantage of touch capabilities to offer a fun, easy yet professional level editing experience. For example, with a touch or swipe, users can easily resize and rotate a title directly from the preview window, among other functions.
• Full Media Access: There are more creative options for editors, with access to all kinds of media—video, audio or photos—in their iPad library as well as access to media from devices via an iPad Camera Connection Kit (sold separately) or from iTunes or other sources. Users can also capture video and photos within the app for use in their projects. The app also automatically recognizes imported media that has been previously organized by albums, events, faces and more—providing fast, easy access.
• Easy Video and Audio Track Compositing: Users can unleash their creativity by dropping one clip on top of the other in the Storyboard to create a picture-in-picture effect or take advantage of the professionally-designed animated montage themes to layer their photos and videos, all included. Multiple audio tracks also allow for easy layering of music, audio and sound effects to create movie soundtracks.
• Export to Avid Studio for the PC: Avid Studio for iPad also offers a bridge to the power of the desktop by offering a direct link to Avid Studio software (for PC). Customers who use Avid Studio PC desktop software can continue editing their projects with additional powerful features including sophisticated photo and video correction tools, unlimited timeline tracks, an impressive collection of included content and more.

The Avid Studio app for the iPad is available now for a limited-time introductory price of $4.99.

An unofficial source had this to explain:

“Migrating to localized domains will allow us to continue promoting free expression and responsible publishing while providing greater flexibility in complying with valid removal requests pursuant to local law. By utilizing ccTLDs, content removals can be managed on a per country basis, which will limit their impact to the smallest number of readers. Content removed due to a specific country’s law will only be removed from the relevant ccTLD.” That means [blogname].blogspot.com will continue to exist, but it’s not clear if the users from that specific country will still be able to access it. Blogger will start to use country-specific domains, just like many other Google services. If you’re in Australia and visit google.com, you’ll be redirected to google.com.au, but you can opt-out by clicking “Go to Google.com” or visiting google.com/ncr. The same option is available for Blogger: “Blog readers may request a specific country version of the blogspot content by entering a specially formatted NCR URL. NCR stands for ‘No Country Redirect’ and will always display [blogname].blogger.com in English, whether you’re in India, Brazil, Honduras, Germany, or anywhere. For example: http://[blogname].blogspot.com/ncr – always goes to the U.S. English blog.”

Apple today announced an update to Final Cut Pro X that addresses some of the criticisms that many FC users had with the latest version.

Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3 features:

• Multicam editing that automatically syncs up to 64 angles of video and photos;
• Advanced chroma keying for handling complex adjustments right in the app; and
• Enhanced XML for a richer interchange with third party apps and plug-ins.

Available today as a free update from the Mac App Store™, Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3 also includes a beta of broadcast monitoring that supports Thunderbolt devices as well as PCIe cards.

• Multicam Editing: Final Cut Pro X automatically syncs clips from your shoot using audio waveforms, time and date, or timecode to create a Multicam Clip with up to 64 angles of video, which can include mixed formats, frame sizes and frame rates. The Angle Editor allows you to dive into your Multicam Clip to make precise adjustments, and the Angle Viewer lets you play back multiple angles at the same time and seamlessly cut between them.
• Chroma Keying: Final Cut Pro X builds upon its one-step chroma key with the addition of advanced controls including color sampling, edge adjustment and light wrap. You can handle complex keying right in Final Cut Pro X, without having to export to a motion graphics application, and view your results instantly with realtime playback.

Apple notes:

In the seven months since launch, the third party ecosystem around Final Cut Pro X has expanded dramatically.

XML-compatible software like DaVinci Resolve and CatDV provide tight integration for tasks such as color correction and media management. The new 7toX app from Intelligent Assistance uses XML to import Final Cut Pro 7 projects into Final Cut Pro X. In addition, some of the industry’s largest visual effects developers, including GenArts and Red Giant, have developed motion graphics plug-ins that take advantage of the speed and real-time preview capabilities of Final Cut Pro X.

Broadcast monitoring in Final Cut Pro X is currently in beta and allows you to connect to waveform displays, vectorscopes, and calibrated, high-quality monitors to ensure that your project meets broadcast specifications. Final Cut Pro X supports monitoring of video and audio through Thunderbolt I/O devices, as well as through third party PCIe cards.

In a document called “Social Media Application” (pdf) released on January 19, it was revealed that the Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC) at the FBI is looking for a company to provide software that can analyze any publicly available information, including tweets, Facebook statuses, notes, etc. and flag anything that the FBI wants to know about.

The plan is to use this information along with a mapping software to locate threats.

From the white paper:

This must be a secure, light weight web application portal, using mash-up technology. The application must have the ability to rapidly assemble critical open source information and intelligence that will allow SIOC to quickly vet, identify, and geo-locate breaking events, incidents and emerging threats. The product must have the capacity to allow the user to retain control of cached and real-time proprietary data; the ability to share it with selected partners, and ultimately enhancing coordination, synchronized-awareness and synergy at the operational level.

Notice the specific mention of “cached and real-time” data. This would enable them to build a database of information to trace patterns and compile profiles.

Among the things the FBI wishes to monitor closely are news organizations (Fox News, CNN and MSNBC were specifically mentioned), Facebook, and Twitter. They specified that they wish to keep tabs on:

1) US Domestic Terror Data
2) Worldwide Terror Data
3) US Embassies, Consulates and Military Installations
4) Weather Conditions and Forecasts
5) Traffic Video

That last item was particularly interesting because they expanded on it.

Traffic Video- Ability to display video feeds fiom traffic cameras to
monitor traffic patterns, obstructions, bottle necks, protesters, and flash
mobs.

The FBI wants to be able to have video feeds of protesters and to monitor flash mobs. With facial recognition software, license plate readers, plenty of public monitoring cameras, and a large cache of information waiting to be mined, this is a conspiracy theorists dream/nightmare come true.

With that in mind, it’s clear blogging still has a great deal of value, but what does your favorite blog say about you? What does it mean if your favorite blog is the Huffington Post or any of Rick Denton’s products? Thankfully, over at Slacktory (via Boing Boing), Nick Douglas tackles this pressing issue and the results are a lot more accurate than the blog fans would ever care to admit.

While I’m not going to reprint Douglas’ entire list, here are a few of the gems that stood out to me:

Gawker: You tell your friends jokes about their ethnicities and sexual orientations. They grin and say “Bitch!” and pretend to smack you.

Huffington Post: Most of your pleasures are guilty pleasures.

Daily Kos: You own a “Disappearing Civil Liberties” mug.

Kottke.org: You read all the liner notes, even if you bought the album as mp3s.

Perez Hilton: You were bullied in high school.

Consumerist: You have some sort of fact sheet, like the Bill of Rights or some measurement conversions, in your wallet.

ReadWriteWeb: You are the only person who actually called your representative about SOPA.

Douglas’ list continues on with about 15-20 more blogs being added to the fun, and like the subtitle suggests, I found the list to be incredibly accurate. Other blogs pointed out on the list include Deadspin, Think Progress, Neatorama, Serious Eats and Mashable. If you are one of the folks who frequent these or similar blogs, you should check out the Slacktory list. Just be sure to leave your “easily offended” pants at home.