WordPress 3.8 Released: Five Things You Need to Know

Last Thursday, December 12th, WordPress 3.8 was released – bringing a new default magazine-style theme (Twenty Fourteen) and a whole new look for your Dashboard.

Have you updated yet?

(If you’re not sure how, it’s easy: login to your Dashboard and there’ll be a link right at the top of every page of your dashboard.

It’s a good idea to backup your blog before updating, though problems are unlikely.)

#1: WordPress Now Works More Easily on Mobile Devices

We all access the internet in different ways. Smartphone, tablet, notebook, desktop — no matter what you use, WordPress will adapt and you’ll feel right at home. (WordPress 3.8 “Parker”, WordPress.org)

If you manage your blog from a phone or tablet, you should find that it’s now a fair bit easier, particularly when it comes to adding widgets (you can tap an Available widget then choose where to place it, rather than dragging it – this works on your computer too).

#2: The Dashboard Has a Fresh New Design

Thankfully, everything’s still in the same place – but the WordPress dashboard has undergone a total redesign.

Here’s how it looks:

You can switch to a different colour scheme for your Dashboard, by going to Users –>Your Profile.

#3: You Can Manage Installed Themes More Easily

Go to Appearance –> Themes on your newly-updated blog and you’ll see that things look a little different:

If you click on a theme to see the “Theme Details”, you’ll find that you can flip through the themes using arrows (either clicking the buttons on the screen or using the arrow keys on your keyboard):

#4: The Visual Editing Icons Have Changed

The visual editor or “WYSIWYG” (What You See Is What You Get) editor has a fresh new set of buttons.

Here’s how it looked in 3.7:

And here’s how it looks now:

Like the icons down the left-hand side of the Dashboard, the buttons are simplified and bolder in their look.

#5: Not Everyone’s Happy

A number of WordPress users have voiced concerns about the changes, with the main complaint being the lack of an option to revert to the old-style Dashboard.

Several plugins are already in development to allow users to switch back, so it’s likely this won’t be a problem for too long.

Don’t let the new design put you off upgrading, though – it’s important to keep your WordPress version up to date to avoid security risks and bugs.

We’d love to hear what you think about WordPress 3.8, and about any new features that are helping (or hindering!) your blogging. Drop a comment below to tell us

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