New WordPress 3.3 Features

Late yesterday,  WordPress released their latest version. Version 3.3 called “Sonny” (because it’s named after Jazz musician Sonny Stitt)  brings with it some cool new features.  It has also brings some nice improvements on a few already existing features.

Here’s a quick video from WordPress.org to give you the basics of whats new.

You can check out the entire list of improvements at the wordpress codex.

A few of my favorite changes are:

Easier File Uploading

The media importer has been combined into one button and also has drag and drop uploading.  This saves a lot of time and makes it super easy to upload images to your post.  No more excuses for not having more pics in your post!

Better Dashboard Layout

• New toolbar at the top puts your most common tools and links right where you can easily access them
• They improved performance for people using iPads and Tablets making it much easier to blog on the go.
• Flyout Menus on the sidebar to save some time and clicking.

Tumblr Importer
Now you can easily import  your tumblr.com blog into WordPress.  This is awesome for anyone wanting to switch over.  I know a lot of people that have wanted to but didn’t know how.  Now it’s super easy.

Improved DFW (distraction free writing)

The width now matches what it will look like in your blog post when using the DFW to write.  This makes it a lot easier to see what your post is going to look like without having to keep hitting “preview”.   Along with the new drag and  drop uploading this is probably my favorite change.

Speed and Performance Improvements

They did a lot of little things to help your site run smoother and faster.  I’ve only been using the new version for a day now, and I can already tell a big difference.   This is especially true when navigating around in the admin area.  It can be really annoying to be working on your site or making a post and have to wait 30 seconds or more between each thing you do or link you click.  They’ve greatly improved the inner-workings with this update.

Security

If you haven’t updated your site yet, be sure to do it as soon as possible.  They always do security updates with each new version so you want to make sure your site is up to date.  This is the most important reason to update.  The cool features are just a bonus.

Let me know what your thoughts are on the new version in the comments below.

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