Wordpress is not just your friendly blogging program. It’s also, thanks to a suite of powerful plugins, a complete CMS. Let’s take a look at some of the best plugins around that will have you webmastering with the best of them in no time.

1. Simple Fields

This simple, yet useful, plugin acts as a replacement to custom fields and adds textboxes, text areas, checkboxes, radio buttons, and dropdowns. It also adds the ability to group fields together in easy-to-navigate groups. Useful little tool.

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2. Blog-in-Blog

Want to have the functionality of a CMS system but still be able to retain a little blog on the side? Then this is the plugin for you. This plugin lets you assign a specific category that will reroute content to a separate blog of your choosing. These are hidden from the main page so you can basically do anything you like.

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3. CMS Tree Page View

This plugin adds a CMS-like tree overview of all your pages to WordPress. This is just like the view afforded by a page-focused CMS. This plugin allows you to you can edit pages, view pages, add pages, search pages, and drag and drop pages to rearrange the order.

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4. Content Sort

This marvelous plugin adds a grid under “Posts” in the admin where users can use drag and drop to sort posts published on the first page. This functionality gives users more control over posts without having to write complicated custom loops.

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5. White Label CMS

This amazing plugin helps you brand Wordpress into your own fully-functioning CMS. It slices, it dices, it allows you to edit the navigation menus and dashboard to suit your site’s needs. Only only those last two.

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6. Inline Editor

Want to edit your content from the front end of your WordPress blog? Want to do this using the exact stylings of your blog or CMS? Then this is the plugin for you.

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7. CMS

This is more or less a collection of plugins that, used to together, will help your Wordpress give you the feel and usefulness of a true CMS. It includes multiple content blocks, Page manager, aFAQ plugin and more.

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8. Front Page Category

This plugin allows you to easily choose posts in any of your categories to appear on the front page. Also lets you exclude any categories so that they show up only in the archive pages and not on the front page.

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9. CMS Dashboard

This handly plugin creates a useful dashboard plugin. It features large and easily pushable buttons to make navigation a breeze. This is perfect for new Wordpress users who may not be well-versed with all of the functionality.

10. Page.ly MultiEdit

This plugin allows you to create multiple content blocks on page templates. These are fully editable and use custom fields to create simple tinyMCE  regions on those page templates.

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11. Dashboard Heaven

Dashboard Heaven offers Widget to User-level/role customization. It lets you control which user levels see which widget. Pretty useful.

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12. Edit Flow

The Edit Flow plugin improves the WordPress Admin interface for a multi-user newsroom’s editorial workflow. It gives you the ability to perform custom post statuses, post metadata and editorial commenting, and editing user groups.

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13. CMS Press

Want to create and manage custom content types? This is your ticket. It adds the flexibility to have more than just posts and pages for content by allowing the user to register their own post types in whatever fashion they choose.

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14. Magic Fields

Magic Fields is a great little plugin. It focuses on simplified content management for the admin creating custom write panels.

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15. Multiple Content Blocks

This lets you use more than one content block on a template. You need only insert one tag inside the template. User-friendly is the name of the game here. It even allows you to specify content blocks on your pages that can be easily edited by clients.

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16. Core Tweaks WordPress Setup

This plugin automates the proper setup of your WordPress blog for SEO use. This handles just about every aspect, including changing the permalink structure to deleting the Hello World sample post and comment, and all the options are accessible from one single page.

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17. Pods CMS

This is another highly usable CMS framework. It allows you to easily add and display your own content types, among other things.

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18. Flutter

Flutter is a plugin that gives the admin the ability to write panels with radio buttons, file uploads, image uploads, checkboxes and more. It also features simplified templating.

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19. WP-CMS Post Control

This gives you absolute control over the write options you use just about every user level and role. It even lets you hide unwanted items like custom fields, trackbacks and revisions.

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20. Menus Plus+

This plugin lets you create multiple customized menus with pages, posts, categories, and URLS. It lets you drag and drop to your heart’s content. A real time saver.

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21. PageMash

This plugin gives you an Ajax interface that also allows you drag-and-drop pages to place them in whatever configuration you like. This functionality also works toward modifying the page structure however you like.

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22. Role Scoper

Role Scoper is gives users a useful access control solution. It gives you CMS-like control of reading and editing permissions. Assign restrictions and roles to pages, posts and categories.

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23. CForms II

This is a powerful program that helps WordPress users get what they want out of their CMS. It offers convenient deployment of multiple Ajax driven contact forms throughout your blog or even on the same page.

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24. Scissors

Scissors acts a sort of mini-Photoshop for your CMS, allowing you to crop, resize, and rotate images. This plugin also allows automatic resizing of images when they are uploaded and supports automatic and manual watermarking of images.

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25. Multi-Level Navigation

This handy-dandy plugin adds an SEO friendly, accessible dropdown menu to your WordPress blog. It has a host of features and customization options.

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Wordpress 3.0 has arrived! The codename this time is “Thelonius” and it comes packed-in with a host of features that is going to make your blogging life a lot easier. There is a lot of information to pack in here so let’s skip the formalities and get started. Wait, are there formalities usually?

New Default Theme “Twenty Ten”

There is a new default theme in town. “Twenty Ten” has replaced the “Kubrick” theme as default and even though we can shed a tear for Kubrick, the new one is a much nicer experience. It features built-in support for child themes and header customization. It also comes with the ability to complete a host of background alterations. It truly does offer users a fresh look when they boot up their Wordpress. Below is a photo of it in action.

Let’s talk a bit about the header customization. You can upload your own headers right into the admin panel. One step. No hassles. Also, there are eight pre-installed header options to choose from. They are pretty cool, actually. Here is a photo.

Now let’s talk about the background customization options. “Thelonius” allows you to change the background of posts and pages from the back-end administration panel. There are a gad of options here. You can change the color. You can upload your own images. The sky is just about the limit. It just requires a simple line of code or two in your themes function.php file. Below is an image of the custom background panel.

Shortlink

Shortlink is Wordpress 3.0’s micro-blogging and Twitter integration. This functionality also gives you the ability to generate branded short links. Think Tinyurl etc.

Menu modifications

Wordpress 3.0 offers a supremely intuitive menu system. Simply drag and drop stuff when you want to change anything. No coding experience is necessary, even when you want to add an entirely new menu option. The system is the same for outgoing links, categories, pages and whatever else you can think of. It truly is a simple and functional marvel to behold.

Custom Post Types

This is something users have been clamoring for a while. Wordpress 3.0 makes content management a lot easier thank to this feature. This will allow WordPress theme developers to create custom content types outside pages and posts. Custom post types finally catches Wordpress up to similar services offered by Drupal and the like.

Improved Custom Taxonomies

Custom taxonomies in WordPress is another neat feature. This reduces the effort put in by developers in the creation of large websites greatly. This was available in Wordpress 2.8 but in 3.0 the system gets a welcome revamping. They now allow for hierarchical relationships and are much easier to string together to make usable lines of code. This feature may go unused by the laymen but it is a boon to experienced developers.

Multi-Site

Wordpress 3.0 allows you to manage as many blogs as you want, hundreds even, with just one install. 3.0 has merged with WordPress MU to enable this feature. Say you are designing for a client who is an umbrella company with tons of subdivisions, brands and companies. Imagine the work this new feature will save you as you go about creating websites for every facet of their business model. Word of advice though:  The feature is not enabled automatically and must be turned on via wp-config.php by adding “define(’WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE’, true);”

Final thoughts

Hello fully functional publishing platform. Wordpress 3.0 has finally inched us ever so closer to getting there. The new features represent a sea change of sorts of the program and it’s massive userbase. It’s evident the masterminds behind Wordpress are dedicated to simplifying the user experience while, at the same time, making it more feature rich and adaptable. This is an important balancing act and one that the company can be proud of. What features are you most excited by? Drop them in an email or the comment box.

Wordpress. It keeps getting cooler and cooler doesn’t it? The premiere blogging platform has recently one-upped itself with the release of ‘Thelonious’ (WP 3.0). As updates go it is mostly free of glitches and bugs. However, there have been some compatibility issues with certain themes. As the geniuses over at Wordpress work that out, we decided to scour the web and collate twenty-five amazing(and free) themes that are sure to work with the new update.

For newbies, a theme is a general feel or aesthetic of a particular blog or website. They take the hard work out of making your blog look snazzy and cool. Without further adieu, here are the top 25 free Wordpress themes that are guaranteed to work with WP 3.0. Enjoy and happy e-decorating.

The Morning After by WooThemes

This could be the most popular theme of all time. It has over 100,000 users and climbing. Thankfully, those users who have moved on to WP 3.0 will continue to live a worry free e-life.

Structure by Organic Themes

This theme is available in four variants and a variety of color schemes for the discerning blogger. It integrates easily and fits just about any blog type.

Mansion by GraphPaperPress

This is the perfect theme for you photo bloggers out there. It has a slew of functionality, including the ability to use a flexible-width thumbnail grid for both images and photo journal entries. Perfect for those who adhere to the “a picture is worth 1,000 words” mantra.

Twenty Ten by The WordPress Crew

This is the default Wordpress 3.0 theme. That’s right. It comes with the update. Don’t worry. You won’t looked down upon if you use it. It’s great!

Magazeen by WeFunction & Smashing Magazine

This theme has both style and substance to spare. It’s called Magazeen because, well, it is meant for users who intend their blog to capture the feel of a print magazine. It does so in spades.

Mystique by Digital Nature

This is the perfect choice for CMS publishers and tech-savvy bloggers. The options here are almost limitless. Widgets, an intuitive interface, tons of color choices. You name it. The perfect theme for someone who likes to switch things up every once in a while.

AutoFocus+ by Fthrwght (Allan Cole)

This is another theme designed primarily for photographers. Showcase your favorite images on a  800px, 8 column grid. The typographs out there will also be happy with the theme’s 22px baseline grid. Classy and functional.

Gadget by ThemeJam

This theme is sharp and sleek. Consider it the iPad of Wordpress 3.0 themes, or at the very least, the Lexus. Perfect for tech-blogs.

Suffusion by Aquoid

Suffusion is known for it’s supreme versatility. You can see from the photo above just all of the options that are available to users of this high-quality theme. It features 10 widget areas, one-column, two-column and three-column fixed-width formats, 10 pre-defined templates, 17 pre-defined color schemes, two customizable multi-level drop-down menus, featured posts, a magazine layout, tabbed sidebars, widgets for Twitter, Social Networks and Google Translator, translations in many languages and RTL language support. Wow!

Titan by The Theme Foundry

This theme sure is handsome aint it? It doesn’t rely on it’s looks, however. Titan allows you to integrate Twitter, Facebook, Feedburner and Flickr with ease. And they say hotties aren’t smart.

Magnifolio – The Gallery/Blog WordPress Theme

As the text reads, this theme is ready, willing and able to be integrated into Wordpress 3.0.

Genova – Minimalistic WordPress Theme

This elegant theme features 12 color schemes and, most importantly, is browser-safe.

Expose Gallery WordPress Theme

The Expose Gallery theme has three skins to choose from and comes with full video support and a suite of widgets and plugins. Not bad guys. Not bad.

Asylum – Premium WordPress Theme

This theme is so stylish it gives classic Frank Sinatra a run for his money. Five skins, three fonts and a shortcodes. It should be asked to join the ratpack.

Vision – Corporate and Portfolio WP Theme

This is the perfect theme for the large corporation in your life. It features five different themes so a multi-branch company can separate each limb by style.

UniSphere Minim Corporate and Portfolio

As the tag-line goes, awesome. This theme comes in a variety of flavors. Perfect for any blogger and their varied tastes.

Evolutionary Theme

The “evolution” in Wordpress 3.o themes. This theme comes in four color schemes and offers a ton of customization options, including the ability to both widgets and animations.

Imperial

This tech-friendly theme comes in two colors, black and white. It also has many useful columns for bloggers who like to keep many information conduits open on their front page.

Dimenzion

This is the perfect theme for blogs about celebrities, movies or other cultural ephemera. Cute colors too.

Channel Theme

This is an extremely useful theme that can help turn your blog into a media megasite like Slate or Huffington Post. Media friendly to the max.

Magazine Basic Theme

Here is another useful theme for bloggers who want to resemble an online magazine.

Yieldon

This is a great and simple Wordpress theme for bloggers who take a no frills approach to their information dispensing.

deStyle Theme

This is a simple yet classy Wordpress 3.0 theme that is perfect for music or fashion bloggers.

Designora

This functional theme could be used for just about any blog imaginable. It comes with RSS buttons and the ability to include widgets. Great for beginners.

Enertia

This is the perfect theme for the blogging arm of a small business or enterprise. It’s elegant, unobtrusive and functional.

So there you have it. Have any favorites that didn’t make the list? Drop us a line. Also, keep an eye out as more themes become 3.0-ready every day.

WordPress is a very popular open source platform. While the team works on the the 2.9 release, there are few upgrades that remedy some current security faults.  It is impressive that an open source solutions takes such an aggressive stand toward security.

Changes:

• two tag importer plugin support has ended
• more secure file upload rights
• suppresses vulnerable PHP code areas
• solves trackback DOS attack problem

This is not the end all be all of security.  You hosting environment is also important.  Also evaluate your hosting provider to ensure that you site is safe and secure.

Here is a round up of 8 useful WordPress Plugins for Rating and Polls.

POLLS

PollDaddy

Overview: PollDaddy is a easy to use poll manager. The plugin works right into the install WordPress backend.

Democracy AJAX Poll

Overview: This AJAX based plugin is quick to set up and easy to use. Using {democracy:*id*} to address the polls and the id as the poll id.

PoWPoll

Overview: This fully AJAX based plugin is great for smaller blogs. It has IP-logging ; permissions ; user options ; inline/static polls ; poll archive page.

SodaHead Polls

Overview: This easy to use plugin has many skins and modifications to match any needs you need.

WP-Polls

Overview: This is also an AJAX based poll plugin that is template and CSS customizable.

Ratings

Post Star Rating

Overview: Post Star Rating is a plugin that allows blog users to rate posts in a classic five stars way.

Xavin’s Review Ratings

Overview: Input ratings as a fraction (4/5) or a percentage (80%) ; Use any amount of stars from 2 to 100 ; Set the minimal star fraction allowed, whole, half or quarter ; Split multiple ratings in one post/page into groups, and have a separate overall rating calculated for each ; Display the rating as image stars, text stars, a percentage, a fraction, or any combination ; Multiple star image sets included, others can be easily added ; Fully templatized output, use whatever tags you want ; Optionally group ratings in a table or other structure ; Settings page for global settings and tag defaults.

GD Star Rating

As we all know, WordPress is a popular blog/CMS choice. One of the great things about WordPress can also be the worst. Dynamic is a great way to describe the platform. This is great most of the time, except when you are getting a ton of page views. Every time a page is accessed, its pulls a dynamically created page. That can be very taxing on your server. Thankfully WordPress has great plugin expandability.

The Plugin of the hour is WPSuperCache. This fantastic plugin creates static HTML pages from the WordPress dynamic pages. This allows the server to serve the pages faster and with less load. When matched with a professional heavy duty server, this plugin can serve millions of pages an hour.

It is great when you realize all this stuff, minus the hosting is free! Got to love open source.

Here are 10 really nice Free Gallery Themes for WordPress. Due to the popularity of WordPress, many people may find these templates very helpful.

CSS Gallery | Demo Site | Download Here

Sharpfolio | Demo Site | Download Here

Hyku Gallery | Demo Site | Download Here

Nautilus | Download Here

The Unstandard | Demo Site | Download Here

CSS Gallery | Demo Site | Download Here

Autofocus | Demo Site | Download Here

Gallery | Demo Site | Download Here

Snapshot | Demo Site | Download Here

Cw2 Personal Gallery | Demo Site | Download Here