Question: Should I upgrade to WordPress 3.0?

Answer: Yes… and No.

I’ve been using a Beta version of 3.0 for a month or so on a site I’m developing. I’m very impressed. WordPress 3.0 is amazing and lovely. Its default theme is so much more well-designed than the dreaded Kubrick. (Who thought that was a good idea? Sorry.) WP 3.0, most importantly for me, does a lot of things that those of us who have been developing on WordPress for a long time are really happy it does. Like what?

Well, I feel like we – the WP user community – jumped the gun on turning WP into a CMS (content management system). We did this in the loveliest way (lovely is my favorite word today, apparently) through all sorts of nice plug-ins and tweaks, but it was really still pretty clunky (as a CMS, I mean. Remember, it’s a blogging engine). WP 3.0 is WordPress’s attempt to take a step towards meeting us halfway to being a real CMS. Page management, for one thing, is super easy compared to the old version.

So, the short answer is yes. You should upgrade to 3.0.

And no. You should wait.

Wait for 3.1. My guess is that it will be available pretty soon after 3.0 is released. Everyone who is beta testing 3.0, and all the new, excited people who are already running it, will give WordPress feedback on what needs to be fixed, and then the WordPress developers will fix it and release 3.1.

In the meantime, take a moment to backup your WordPress installation, relax, take a deep breath, and enjoy your weekend. Then you can upgrade. No rush.

(How do I backup my installation? Here’s my tutorial on just that: Part 1, How Do I Back Up My WordPress Blog Or Site? and Part 2, How Do I Back Up the Rest Of My WordPress Site? (Uploaded Media, Plug-ins, Style Sheets, etc.)

Need help? Contact me through Twitter, Facebook, Email, or set up a time to talk.