Last week, WordPress made the newest version of their blogging service available for download. There are a lot of new additions to 2.5, far too many to review in this post (check out the official WordPress Blog post for full details). Instead, we thought we’d briefly go over some of the major improvements that are suited to the average blogger:

R evamped Post Editor

The most notable changes are in WordPress’ Post Creator, where the visual text editor has expanded, with more options in top toolbar. The additions include:

• Full screen view

Allows you to view your post-to-be in full screen, eliminating the clutter of your plug-ins and publishing tools as you write.

• Separate ‘Add Media’ Tabs

Above your editor box, there are separate icons for uploading images, video, audio and other media, making their addition more direct and intuitive.

• Quotations Tool

Adding quotes to your post just got easier with this simple icon located in your editing toolbar.

• More Formatting Options

By clicking the “Show Kitchen Sink” icon on your toolbar, more formatting icons will appear, mimicking the tools found in MS Word. Among these additions are paragraph and heading formatting tools, more accessible font size and color options, custom character insertion, and an icon that lets you paste directly from Word.

Improved Post Management

Managing your posts is made easier as WordPress divides the different aspects of your blog into separate categories. Under ‘Manage’, your blog’s sections are clearly separated into different tabs, including Posts, Pages, Links, Categories, etc.

• Search Tool

Each section has its own search tool so you can easily find the content you are looking for.

• Media Library

All your uploads are organized in your media library, so you can keep track of everything you upload to your blog. You can view everything you’ve uploaded or by separate medium, as the library can be viewed according to the categories ‘images’, ‘audio’ and ‘video’. You can also filter the content of your library by choosing the date in which you uploaded your files.

Cleaner Dashboard Look and Layout

Your Blog’s Dashboard is better organized with a simpler design scheme so it’s easier to manage your blogging duties. You also have the option of placing widgets in your dashboard so you can get your news and blogging stats as soon as you log in.

• Right Now Header

You most urgent tasks are displayed at the very top under the bright red ‘Right Now’ banner which takes you directly to the write new post and new page editors. It also clearly shows the number of posts, comments, categories, tabs and widgets your blog currently has. Below this is the name of the theme you are using and a link to the theme editor if you wish to change the design of your blog.

Improved but not perfect

While WordPress 2.5 does offer some improvements to accessibility, there are still some problematic areas that need to be addressed in future upgrades. The most glaring problem for us is the finicky image and media uploading system. When uploading media in the visual editor, a separate window opens up with the browsing and linking options. This window cannot be moved and we’ve been unable to click the `save changes’ button because of it.

There are also some uploading problems where media doesn’t appear in your post, requiring you to either start the process over or even sign out and log in again. This can be extremely frustrating, especially when you have to repeat the task several times. We’ve found that saving your post and coming back to it after refreshing the page or exiting WordPress allows us to finally publish the image.

Another problem with the newest version is that you cannot rearrange the order of your advanced options (custom fields, excerpt, etc) in your editor windows, which forces you to scroll down to your most used features.

Despite some minor problems, WordPress 2.5 offers improved accessibility and a more intuitive management system with better display options and customizable features. For a more comprehensive review of the new additions, head on over to WordPress.org to see everything 2.5 has to offer both users and programmers.

How are you finding the latest version of WordPress? We would love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below.