WordPress 2.9 has been eagerly anticipated by bloggers seeking image management improvements. WP 2.9 does boast some cool new image tools but as Matt Mullenweg points out:

This is the first wave of our many planned media-handling improvements.

In other words, like a kid the day after Christmas, I can choose to delight in what I did get or I can lament about what didn’t end up in my stocking. Don’t worry, there is plenty to appreciate in WordPress 2.9.

The new image features in WordPress 2.9 will please those of you that love to populate your blogs with lots of images. Now you can do some rudimentary image editing such as cropping, rotating, flipping and scaling, all inside of WordPress. They have also made the built in image gallery much easier to use by allowing you to easily add images from other blog posts to this image gallery.  Dynamic image resizing and more image functions will be implemented in WordPress 3.0, which is scheduled for late spring.

But some of the coolest things about this version of WordPress 2.9 may not be readily apparent to the basic user. That is because a lot of the changes are “under the hood” and are were implemented to make it easier for WordPress developers and theme designers to do some really cool things. Expect some development delay until these new plug ins and themes are ready for distribution. I am pretty excited about the possibilities!

As with many new releases on a complex program, there have been some glitches for some people in upgrading. Most of these issues are related to running PHP 4 instead of PHP5 on your web server.  PHP 4 is no longer supported but many web hosts have been reluctant to upgrade to the current version of PHP. Other people are having problems with some plugins, particularly Twitter Tools.  WordPress is working hard on a patch so expect WP 2.9.1 in the next couple of days.

A lot of us dread to upgrade our software because of messages just like this

your attempt to edit this post has failed

Most often it is due to an incompatibility with a plugin. It appears that is the problem here as well. The very popular plugin Twitter Tools is the most likely culprit. If you see this message when you first try to save or publish a post in WordPress 2.9, the first thing you want to do is to de-activate the Twitter Tools plugin. That cleared up the problem for me.

A few people have reported this error with the All in One SEO plugin as well but it has not caused a problem on any of the 12 blogs that I manage. If you continue to have problems, deactivate ALL of your plugins. Then try to save a new post. If that works, reactivate your plug-ins until you find the source of your trouble.

What happened to WordPress 2.9 checking for plug-in compatibility? Well WordPress 2.9 does and lots of people have had no problems with the Twitter Tool plug in on their WordPress 2.9 blog. Alex King, the developer of Twitter Tools is hard with the WordPress developers trying to isolate the cause. I can tell you that this is one of the most difficult times to debug, when something works for most set ups but not for a small group of others.

Should I upgrade?

WordPress 2.9 is a feature upgrade. It is not a security upgrade, which should ALWAYS be installed as soon as possible. You could wait a week or so for some of the dust to settle before upgrading. Many people will make that choice if it is a feature vs security upgrade, as it is in this situation. You can wait and take one of the blogging classes that start after the new year to have my assistance and guidance when you upgrade. Check out Blogging Basics and Blogging for Fun, Fame and Fortune to see which class is the best fit for you.

A few weeks ago, I warned students about the necessity of keeping their WordPress blog updated. If your blog is hosted on wordpress.com, it is updated. This warning is for self hosted blogs. The latest version, WordPress 2.8.4, closes a hole in previous versions that allowed hackers to create a backdoor administrator account on your blog.

Unfortunately, a lot of WordPress bloggers did NOT heed the warning to update that appeared at the top of their blog administration panel. A serious attack has been launched this weekend and hundreds of blogs have already been affected. Mashable it doing their part to spread the word about this attack and the need to upgrade immediately to WordPress 2.8.4.

How serious is this threat? Lorelle VanFossen tells her readers to stop reading her post until the reader is sure that their blog is updated. Don’t worry about finding out if your blog is affected first. She instructs WordPress bloggers to do the update first, then take a look to see if the blog was compromised. Lorelle offer two clues to look for:

There are strange additions to the pretty permalinks, such as example.com/category/post-title/%&(%7B$%7Beval(base64_decode($_SERVER%5BHTTP_REFERER%5D))%7D%7D|.+)&%/. The keywords are “eval” and “base64_decode.”

The second clue is that a “back door” was created by a “hidden” Administrator. Check your site users for “Administrator (2)” or a name you do not recognize. You will probably be unable to access that account, but Journey Etc. has a possible solution.

What to do if your blog is affected?

These hacks are digging down deep into WordPress installations, even the database may be affected. The severity of the attack will determine how much work you have to do to eradicate it. Lorelle’s post details options and instructions on how to repair the damage. In addition, prevention is always the best route and Lorelle reviews some of the best measures to secure your blog. Even if you blog is not affected, it is well worth your time to review her advice on securing your blog.

Please note: I have seen a number of bogus registration attempts on blogs this past week. Even if your blog is up to date, you can help secure your blog by turning off the Anyone can register option. Go to Settings > Membership options to turn off this feature.

WordPress 2.7.1 was released yesterday. This is a maintenance release that fixes some 68 minor bugs and provides some preventive security measures. Lorelle lists the changes in this release in her post on the WordPress 2.7.1 release.

This has been the first large scale test of the new WordPress automatic upgrade and it has hit some rough spots. If you are having difficulties with your automatic upgrade:

• Check the web host core update compatibilty grid. Your web host may prohibit this feature.
• If you have been using the WordPress Automatic Upgrade plugin, deactivate it. It is not compatible with the built in upgrade feature.
• Try deactivating all of your plugins and retry upgrade. Other plugins or combination of plugins may be preventing the upgrade.
• Change the permission on the  wp-contents folder to 777. Change back to 755 when the upgrade is complete.
• Clear the cache on your browser and retry upgrade
• Try a different browser, some people are reporting problems with the upgrade on Firefox and then upgrade easily on Internet Explorer!
• Be patient
  • Not all blogs are recognizing the update yet, and displaying the upgrade message. People are reporting that the message is showing up on more and more blogs over the last 24 hours.
  • The actual upgrade process can take 20 minutes depending on your set up and web host. There are not a lot of status messages during the process and you might only see a blank panel during the upgrade.

Some people are seeing  a failure to connect to their database error immediately after the upgrade. Simply close the browser window and visit your blog in another browser window to clear the error.

In summary, for the vast majority of WordPress users are finding the new automatic feature of WordPress 2.7 to be really easy to use  and loving it.  As it evolves and continues to improve, expect it become seamless and easy for more and more of us.

Welcome to the February 7, 2009 edition of LVS Online students, staff and alumni Blog Carnival on Inspiration.

Participants were asked to share art their art and stories about inspiration. Submissions are categorized into Art, Classes, People and Poem & Stories. This edition of the carnival addresses sources of inspiration as well as our struggles to find inspiration. I invite you to visit the links here to find inspiration and to offer inspiration to others. Although submissions are no longer being accepted for this blog carnival, you are encouraged to share your own inspiration links and stories in the comment section.

Art

Karol’s post reminded me of my own iris inspiration on a wintery day years ago.

Karol Grace presents Longing for Spring posted at Three Dog Studio Art and Photo Journal.

Barb shares with us how a photo, a quick snapshot of a moment, inspired her to create a painting that told the story.

Barbara Hartsook presents Painted for Story… People Photo Inspires an Oil Painting on Canvas posted at Over Coffee…, saying, “People photos inspire stories, which I like to paint. This one is Kali at the Beach, and the story is “Just a Moment to Myself, Please.” I am a student in Bean Fairbanks’ on-going Blogging Studio.“

Adele shares how her childhood inspirations have evolved online

Adele presents Inspiration: Nature, Art, I Ching and Internet posted at I Ching Meditations, saying, “When I am inspired I draw that person, place or event into myself and then expel it out, like the act of breathing, involuntary and necessary for life”

By duty or design, how does inspiration strike you? This is the question Val addresses in her post on how inspiration personally evolves for her.

Val P. presents Inspiration posted at CorelDRAW Classes @ LVS Online.

Inspired by a student’s art, this LVS Teaching Assistant takes the subject matter and makes it uniquely her own.

Sliloh presents Wine and Cheese posted at Sliloh’s Rambles, saying, “Good art and good conversation really bring my creative muse out.”

Elaina shares some of her students’ art work with us.

Elaina Moore-Kelly presents Inspiration! posted at Corel Painter Classes, saying, “My students are my inspiration. They work so hard and are so happy when they “get it”. Teaching has become one of the most important things in my life and I love doing it.”

See how the inspiration and education Tina acquired at LVS Online, took root.

Tina Katnich presents Tina Louise Photography: Timothy & Jessica’s Wedding – Santa Barbara posted at Tina Louise Photography, saying, “I am an LVS alumni member. LVS got me started with digital photography when I began taking photoshop classes, and then I even took an html coding class! I received such inspiration from the classes I took I started my own wedding photography buisness! I love making magic with my camera and it all started with LVS from home! Check out my work! I’m even doing destination weddings now!”

What do you want to make today?

Many Creative Gifts presents Ain’t He Cute?! posted at Many Creative Gifts — “be thoughtful”, saying, “Not an article — just a picture of a cute crocheted axolotl that I created in response to a request. But, I hope it will inspire others to explore their creative possibilities.”

This is a late addition to the carnival but I included it because Ellen share lots of her tips for finding inspiration for art.

Ellen presents Art – Inspiration from Books and Elsewhere posted at Ellifolks: Bears, Critters and Stuff.

Classes

One outline, three apples…

Elaina Moore-Kelly presents What can you do with Painter? posted at Corel Painter Classes, saying, “I’m an instructor for Corel Painter at lvsonline.com I wanted to use this blog page to give my beginning Painter students an idea of how versatile the program can be.”

Kat shares with us how getting expelled started a whole new career and a myriad of relationships.

Kat presents LVS Online Classes Inspires Kat posted at LVS Online Classes, saying, “I am partner and instructor at LVS Online Classes. My association with LVS Online is definitely the source of much inspiration. . . .to work and continue to learn; to meet new people and experience new challenges; to remember that standing up for what’s right always pays off in the end; to live each day to its fullest; and, finally, to stop and smell the roses!”

Kat’s second post talks about how Flash has inspired her and her students.

Kat presents Flash Inspirations posted at Flash Classes @ LVS Online, saying, “We teach what we teach because we enjoy the topic we are instructing and enjoy sharing our knowledge. Our real reward comes from our students journey in learning and the appreciation that is shown on completion.”

People

When I am asked why I blog, I think of Chester and how instrumental his blog was in raising the money and support to care for him as he battled Glioblastoma

Bean presents Priceless posted at Healthy Chester, saying, “I think this post so eloquently illustrates how humor and love inspire us to live despite desperate obstacles.”

A story of one teacher inspired confidence to pursue artistic inspirations

Hillary presents Inspiration — My Story! posted at Digital Art Classes, saying, “I carried that finished oil home that night and carried it with me all around the house, totally disbelieving that I had created something I was proud of”

Sliloh challenges us and inspires us to recognize our own interactions.

Sliloh presents Are you a great mind? posted at Sliloh’s Rambles, saying, “Great minds discuss ideas…..and ideals too I think.”

Poems & Stories

Valerie casts an inspiration incantation for her readers.

Valerie Beeby presents Magic! The Spell of the Purple Owl posted at Valerie Beeby, saying, “This poem is actually part of a children’s fantasy novel I never published.”

My patio pots look much better now, thanks to the inspiration that I received in this post.

Carol presents Inspiration? posted at All About Daisies.

This post is for ‘fabricohlics’ everywhere. My garage and closets would look very different if I had this!

Deb Hamele presents The ?UFO Club? posted at Blue Barn Farm Blog, saying, “This is a story about the “UFO Club” which is a group of quilters who help inspire each other to finish their quilts.”

How do you handle inspiration block?

Marilynn presents If you could have just one . . . . posted at Marilynn’s Antics.

Adele shares her personal I Ching on inspiration

Adele presents What does the I Ching tell me about inspiration posted at I Ching Meditations.

A tale of canine motherly love.

Rainbow presents The White Love posted at My Beagle Blog.

That concludes this edition of the LVS Online Blog Carnival. Although it is too late to be included in this blog carnival, we invite you to share your own stories of inspiration here in the comment section.



Submit your blog article to the next edition of lvs online students and alumni using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

WordPress’ new Flash based Image Loader is definitely getting the most amount of press. It works for most people and for those that it does, they love it (raises own hand). Unfortunately it doesn’t work for all. The crux of the problem seems to be related to how the multitude of web servers are set up  and creating stable code for all of those variations. There are also some browser issues. Throw in a user error or two and you can have a mess. It has worked really well for me but for some IE pickiness and some issues with one blog on a different server. So I can raise my hand or maybe a clenched fist is the more accurate visual for this side of the fence as well.  Although I go into detail about images in the lesson, I wanted to provide you with a stand alone troubleshooting guide.  If you are having difficulty using the new Flash based uploader, try these suggestions. I have divided this into portions: one for those working with a WP Hosted blog and one for self hosted WP blogs.

WP Hosted Blogs

• Make sure that you have the latest version of Adobe Flash installed. You can get it at http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/
• Try clearing the cache for the page. Click Ctrl F5.
• Close all browsers down. Restart your browser and make sure you have only one browser window or tab open. Word Press support even suggests doing this twice and clearing out the tempory internet files folder.
• Try using a different browser. Internet Explorer tends to have more problems than Firefox. 
• This uses javascript, make sure it is enabled in your browser’s security settings.

 

Self hosted WP Blogs

• Make sure that you have the latest version of Adobe Flash installed. You can get it at http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/
• Try clearing the cache for the page. Click Ctrl F5.
• Close all browsers down. Restart your browser and make sure you have only one browser window or tab open. Word Press support even suggests doing this twice and clearing out the tempory internet files folder.
• Try using a different browser. Internet Explorer tends to have more problems than Firefox. 
• This uses javascript, make sure it is enabled in your browser’s security settings.
• If you installed using the FTP method, make sure that you got ALL of the files installed and they are in the correct directories. You might want to reinstall your wp-admin folder.
• Try switching back to the default Kubrick theme to make sure your theme is not causing the problem.
• Create an .htaccess file or add to your existing one the following code:
  <IfModule mod_security.c>
  <Files async-upload.php>
  SecFilterEngine Off
  SecFilterScanPOST Off
  </Files>
  </IfModule>
• Make sure all of your plug-ins are up to date
• Try disabling all of your plug-ins then activate them one at a time to see if one of them is the culprit.
• Try the No Flash Uploader available at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/no-flash-uploader/#post-5496 This disables the flash uploader and allows the other one to work. Note: The author of this plug in advises to really try the suggestions to solve the issue and to use this plug in as a last resort. He is a big fan of the flash uploader and basically created this out of pity for those for whom it does not work.

If you experience difficulty with the flash loader and you whip it into shape, please post what you did here. It would also be nice if you would be willing to post your web host. I am hoping that this post will serve as repository of fixes and solutions for not only this class, but the classes that follow.