E.Webscapes Design Studio

(Click image to enlarge)

WPAssist.Com is a comprehensive WordPress resource site and companion site to the newly released book: WordPress For Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson. Yes, I designed this site myself and wanted to include it here on my Design Blog to bring attention to this new WordPress resource, news and information site. . .

The site was designed with a static front page that serves as a portal of information contained within the site, itself. Seperated into several different sections highlighting the different aspects of WordPress:

• WordPress.Com
• WordPress.Org
• WordPress MU
• WordPress Plugins
• WordPress Themes
• WordPress News

WordPress is a pretty fast-moving platform. The development of the WordPress.Org software is on a 120-day release schedule, at the moment. What does that mean for its user base? It means upgrading your WordPress software on a semi-regular basis. The WordPress folks are really focused on providing the best blogging platform on the web and with that comes some dynamic development as we continually see improvements to the code base, as well as great new toys for us to play with to improve our blogs for ourselves, and for our readers.

For instance – in looking at the three different flavors of WordPress covered in my WordPress For Dummies book, here are some of the most recent developments:

1. The WordPress.Org software was updated on 9/25/07 with the newest version, 2.3. This version IS covered in the WordPress For Dummies book and this new version brings with it some great new features like integrated tagging and software and plugin update notifications (to let YOU know when a new release has been put out. (Additionally, an update to 2.3, version 2.3.1, was released on 10/26 to address some bugs and security issues in the initial 2.3 version).
2. The WordPress MU software was updated on 10/30/07, bringing us version 1.3, and brought with it some of the great development we’ve already seen in WordPress.Org, like the tagging feature.
3. And exciting news like how the fine folks at Automattic (the people behind WordPress.Com) recently acquired the Gravatar system and have integrated that into WordPress.com blogs – - as well as there being several releases of new Gravatar plugins for the WordPress.Org and WordPress MU platforms, as well.

So, you see – - things move fast with WordPress! It’s part of what makes it such an exciting platform to work with, and community to be involved in.

To address the latest WordPress news surrounding all three flavors of WordPress, as well as information on WordPress Plugins, WordPress Themes and all around WordPress news, resources and tutorials – - I’ve launched the companion site for the WordPress For Dummies book at WPAssist.Com

WPAssist.Com is newly launched and we still have some buggy things to work through – but for all intents and purposes, it is up and live and already bringing you news, updates and resources about our FAVORITE topic… WordPress, of course!