A new version of WordPress is upon us, and with it comes some great new features. In WordPress 3.9, the focus is on “closing the gap between editing and publishing,” so that you see a better representation of what your post will look like in the editor before you publish it. Here are some of the features:

• Easier copying and pasting from Word (or other word processing documents) into WordPress. Extra code that is often copied along with the text – and which often causes formatting issues – is now stripped out.
• Previews of image galleries in the editor.
• Better image editing.
• Better handling of audio and video.
• Live widget preview.

You can watch the video for a quick overview, or visit the WordPress blog for a more thorough walk-through. All of our website builds going forward will be using this latest release of WordPress.

If you currently manage a WordPress website and are curious about which version you have, you can log in to the WordPress admin area of your site and it will list your version on the Dashboard screen. If you’re not on the current version, you can contact us to learn how you can get it. WordPress itself is free and site updates are normally quick and painless, but some websites have specialized functionality that require a more diligent and careful approach to updates.

Staying abreast of updates to WordPress, themes and plugins is part of a new service called Property Management that Checkerboard is excited to be offering. A dedicated Property Manager will have regularly scheduled “management” time on your site, making sure it is running optimally and towards its designated goals. This takes the burden off of you and lets you do what you do best: running your business. Feel free to contact us for assistance in updating your WordPress or to learn more about Property Management.