WordPress Upgrade

Wordpress has recently released version 2.5.1  Over the next day or so,  I will be upgrading www.noyes-tech.com to the new version.  This may affect the site’s availability or the look and feel of the site.  I appreciate your understanding during this time.

New Version of Wordpress

Wordpress has release version 2.5.1.  I have begun planning for the upgrade.  There are several things to consider before upgrading.

  • Read the Upgrade Documents at http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress_Extended
  • Backups,  Always backup your files and data before any major changes.
  • Plugins,  Many Plugins are specific to one or two versions of WordPress.  Check the Compatible Plugin list on WordPress.org.  In many cases new versions of the plugins are available to work with newer versions.
  • Themes.  Verify that your theme is compatible with the new version. 
  • Plan, Estimate how long the upgrade will take, and figure out a time when you can do the upgrade,  find a time when you have the time available, and your blog is not excessively busy.
  • Get All the parts. Once you know what is going to need to be changed/replaced,  download ALL the pieces you’ll need.
  • Preform the upgrade,   follow the steps in the Codex.
  • Test the site.
  • Explore new features.  The new version offers many security updates, but also some new features,  you may choose to make some changes to your blog to utilize the new features.
  • Enjoy your newly upgraded blog

I’ll keep some notes of my process for the upgrade, and post my experiences.

 

Bill

Doing More with Less

At my work,  the economy is forcing us to tightly manage costs.  Therefore we have had to reduce the labor expenses in the IT Department significantly.  This presents a challenge, as we actually need to provide more service to other departments, so they can continue to provide the level of service our customers demand, but we need to provide them with fewer resources.  The key to this dilemma is careful prioritization, and management of expectations. When presented with a project request,  I carefully analyze where to put it in the queue, and what the impacts to other projects are.  Letting the users know up front what your constraints are often will gain respect and understanding from your users.  Of course, if you make a promise,  you have to follow through, or you lose credibility.  Also,  sometimes, you just have to say ‘No’ if you cannot accomplish something in the requested time without impacting other commitments.  The key here is to other an alternative,  maybe part of a project can be completed sooner, with the rest following.  Or maybe another project of the requester’s can be pushed back.

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