Upgrading to the latest version of WordPress using the automatic option from within your Dashboard will generally be a straightforward task, especially if you only use the simplest of plug-ins.

However – it’s that 1% of times that it really is worth being prepared for – the one time that you upgrade with a resulting blank screen – the “white screen of death” it can be called (somewhat melodramatically, in my opinion).

When to action your WordPress upgrade?

I tend to wait a couple of days after each WordPress version upgrade; this gives the creators of the most popular and well-tended plug-ins a chance to test their work on the latest version of WordPress. So it therefore makes sense to upgrade any plugins that require such before upgrading your WordPress.

So then you want to take your backup, de-activate your plugins, and then carry out the WordPress upgrade. Once that’s successfully completed remember to activate your plugins, perhaps one by one to be quite happy that each will work happily with the new version of WordPress.

And just remember that if anything does go wrong, it will most likely be a plugin incompatibility, and this can be sorted out by connecting to the server using your ftp details and moving or deleting the most likely plugin culprit (the whole folder from within /wp-content/plugins).

If you want any guidance, clarification or someone to virtually hold your had while you action any of this, drop me an email at hello@blogmistress.com

Several times each week we hear from an expert on the “top ten WordPress plugins” or the “WordPress plugins every blog MUST have” and “Your blog will self-destruct without these ultimate, top, best 67 WordPress plugins”.  OK, I made that last one up, but you get the picture.

There are some standards that appear on most of these lists, but it can get a bit daunting, or you may feel a little like a kid in a sweet shop and want all of them (which is tempting, I know – but keep in mind that it’s best to deactivate them all whenever you upgrade WordPress, and then reactivate one by one).

I suggest you start with these basics before anything else:

Akismet - this is installed with WordPress as standard, for a very good reason. Take the time to activate this and get your API key.

While you’re about it, I’ve started adding in the WordPress.com stats - you’d may as well, as you have the API key (just do it and you’ll see what I mean).

I generally also install Google Analyticator, for in-depth information on what your website visitors are doing.

WordPress Database Backup is another essential – install and set this to backup regularly. I have mine emailed to me once a week.

CryptX is a good tool – this then means you don’t have to faff about or worry about protecting your email addresses – this plugin does it for you.

Exclude Pages from Navigation offers you the option of having live pages that are not included in the navigation (but no doubt you’d already worked that out…!)

As a Twitter user I always include the TweetMeme  Retweet Button – though I will review alternatives next week and do a post on the ways to share your postings

You may like to include a sitemap – the Google XML Sitemaps will take care of that for you

And if you’re expecting comments on your blog posts, it might be nice to have them threaded by the Wordpress Thread Comment plugin

So why have I not included links to all of these? The simplest way to install a plugin is within your WordPress Dashboard – Plugins, Add New and search for the above.

You will soon notice that there is a plugin for just about anything you might want to do with your WordPress. Take your time and explore – you can always deactivate anything that you find to not be useful for you.

And look around at new plugins now and then – wonderful geeks are always looking to create better functions for us.

If there is a specific desire, as well as searching WordPress, do a search on Google – not all plugins are listed with WordPress (though I personally trust the latter more readily) and you may find a gem.

Feel free to ask Babs too – if I don’t immediately know of a solution, I can often ask the questions that can uncover what is needed.

Something I’ve been meaning to do for a while now is to have the specific “website with WordPress” side of what the Blogmistress does with its own website – separate out the support that we do here and have the website stuff in its own home. That way the Blogmistress can focus on supporting you and telling you what to do. And the With WordPress site focuses on exactly that – creating your website with WordPress.

I need to stop that now or the bots will think I’m spamming them…

What can you look forward to from the Blogmistress – well you’ll just have to be patient – there are a few things that we know you’ll like that just want a little polishing before letting you loose with them – though we’ll not keep you waiting too long…

Purely for purposes of demonstration, I’ve installed the “Let it snow” plugin.  Yes, it’s topical and festive, but…

Are you reading this or are you watching the snowflakes drift prettily across the image above?

Whatever you build your website with, if you include anything that moves, that is what will grab and hold your visitor’s attention. So it had better be really essential to what you want your visitors to know.  If it’s not, ditch it – keep it simple and your message very clear and immediate.

I think I’ll leave this in place for the next couple of weeks, though – just to help get the message across

And thanks to Aen Tan for the plugin and to Sean Duran for the tweak that means you only see this on the home page!

A page where you can add your WordPress questions – anything and everything welcome, and I’ll answer to the best of my ability. Let’s see how well this simple method works…