WordPress 3.1 is Now Available

If you are using WordPress, you might have noticed that the 3.1 update is now available and ready to download directly from your blog dashboard or you can simply go to the main WordPress website and get the installation kit for the new version directly. This 14th version dubbed “Reinhardt” brings quite a few improvements over the previous one in terms of functionality, but also when it comes to the aspect of your blog. You can take a closer look at the full list of changes here, but most of them are small tweaks that help make the platform more stable.

Most Significant WordPress 3.1 Improvements

One of the most important aspects that come with WordPress 3.1 is the internal linking feature. Most blog owners will eventually have something to say about a previous article. Until now, finding the link was a tedious job, but this is not a problem anymore. You can browse your history directly from the dashboard and copy the link you want in a matter of seconds.

There are quite a few changes when it comes to layout: the admin bar is a little bit different, the writing interface was simplified, and you will also notice a few new buttons. The admin bar is definitely the biggest visual change and it will make life easier for those who are running multiple blogs at the same time. However, if you only have one blog and you don’t like this addition, you can easily turn it off from the admin menu.

The biggest difference that will be noticed by your visitors is brought by the possibility of customizing certain posts through the new Post Formats feature. This option allows you to display different content in a unique way. Your visitors will appreciate this change if you are used to writing a special column each week or some other type of post which would require special formatting.

Should You Update to WordPress 3.1?

Most people will sleep on the thought of going through another big update, but there is nothing to worry about. If you feel that these changes can help you save time or write better posts, you should click on the update button and everything will be over in a matter of minutes. You should only have second thoughts if your blog contains multiple unverified plug-ins, but we haven’t seen any reports of incompatibility so far, so the chances of having a problem with this update are quite low.

Final Thoughts

You might not be a fan of change, but WordPress 3.1 seems to be a step in the right direction and whether you download and install it now or do it later, you will eventually have to take this step and get used to the minor changes brought by this update. Some of the features are pretty helpful and you will definitely enjoy the Post Formats feature and the fact that you can save time by linking to internal posts much faster than you did before.