The WordPress team has released the latest update to its extremely popular personal publishing system. WordPress 2.2 separates itself from previous installments of WordPress first and foremost by including WordPress Widgets (WPW). WordPress Widgets basically aid users in configuring their sidebar without the hassle of coding. Previously, widgets were implemented through third party plug-ins, whereas now they are built into the core WordPress package.

This major release has followed WordPress 2.1 by only four months, and includes a large amount of bug fixes. WordPress has listened to many of the comments and suggestions, including bug listings, and is continuing its progressive development by slating its next release in September.

Many of the internal functions of WordPress are now using jQuery. jQuery is a Javascript Framework very similar in nature to Prototype, Yahoo! User Interface (YUI), or Dojo. Personally, this shift to a Javascript Framework is exciting since I believe it can greatly, and already has enhanced the WordPress blogging experience both in development and visual aesthetics.

WordPress Download

Google has just released its newest version of Google Analytics on Thursday, May 17, 2007. The previous Google Analytics had a wide array of features to be able to keep track of your website viewers, and this new release has basically beefed up and streamlined how it all comes together. Most of the changes of the new Google Anayltics revolve around the reporting interface.

Upon entering the new Google Analytics it can be a bit overwhelming at first, but the layout is very simplistic and easily picked up. The new Google Analytic Dashboard showcases site usage at the very top, with bold number breakdowns of the most essential site statistics including visits, pageviews, and bounce rates. The actual interface is a Flash Ajax hybrid setup, with graphs, pie charts, and a geo map overlay. One nice feature is the ability to drag and drop the dashboard contents, Google’s Analytic Ajax shines here. The site overlay has changed and now opens in a new window, showing your website contents, and link tracking information very similar to the old site overlay.

All of the features within Google Analytics are broken down into major categories, such as Visitors, Traffic Sources, Content, and Goals. The sub categories hold the majority of the information on site statistics, categories such as referring sites, keywords, browsers, and even statistics on Flash versions or Java support. These sub categories are the main statistic holders, and what make up Google Analytics, so the new ability to add any of these sub categories to the Dashboard is what really sets this incarnation above previous installments of Google Analytics. There is a new Report Finder Tool, basically a sitemap hiearchy of the entire Dashboard contents, but is very easy to navigate. Lastly, the ability to set scheduled e-mails is a really nice touch.

Google Analytics Tour

Google Analytics Blog

Google Analytics FAQ