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I spent some time this weekend updating my personal blog to WordPress 2.5 which was released Saturday. I've been a WordPress user for a while now, and it's worth noting that version 2.5 is one of the biggest updates since the release of version 2.0 back in late 2005. There's a huge list of upgrades on the official WordPress blog, but I thought I'd go over a few of my personal favorites so far:

One-click plug-in upgrades: Like software on PCs, third-party WordPress plugins are updated constantly. The one thing you had to manage on your own was when they got updated. The new system cross checks your plug-ins with the database at Wordpress.org, and if there's an update it will both let you know, as well as give you a one click option to update it to the latest version.

Updating plug-ins is now a one-button affair. If you're a control freak, there's also a download link you can put onto your server via FTP.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Media handling: The new media uploader is a huge step up from the old system. It now lets you upload multiple files at once. Each file uploads with its own progress bar and goes into your media collection to be inserted into posts according to your liking. What I really like, however, is the new gallery feature. You can take all those pictures and put them into an easy to view gallery that can be inserted into a post with one click. It's not as flashy as some of the gallery tools you can get as plug-ins, but it's great to have as a standard solution.

Adding multiple files at the same time works a lot like Flickr's uploader, except you can pick whatever files you want. Videos, photos, and music files are automatically stuck into your media library.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Editing protection: The lack of concurrent editing is one thing that created massive headaches and potential data loss for multiauthored blogs. Say you were writing or editing a post and your co-blogger went into edit it. Both of you could overwrite each other's work endlessly without knowing the other person was in there. The new system locks down a post when a user is still in edit mode, and gives you the person's name so you can message them in real-life to see what they're doing. We've got a similar system here at CNET, and it's a life saver.

Dashboard redesign: I never really thought the old dashboard was bad, but the new one is visually much cleaner and rearranges the settings options away from the links to write and manage posts. It also takes some of the information that was on the old dashboard and widgetizes it, which makes it easier to get a bird's eye view of what's going on with your blog all on one page.

Tags can now be deleted and managed on the fly.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Tags management: The new system lets you add and delete tags as you would on Flickr, or anywhere else using the same system of comma separated tags. The old system simply had you list the tags, but there was no way to edit or see a list of all the tags you had used, which is now maintained in the "manage" tab.

There are a handful of other useful updates and additions, but these were just some of our picks. Are you a WordPress user running 2.5? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

• The piggy post: Pranksters — either Googlers or mischief-makers posing as them — bought a Facebook ad targeted at DoubleClick employees with the copy "Please stop gorging on all our food. Maybe we won't fire you. Thanks!" DoubleClickers reportedly clicked through at astounding rates. Why? Because they felt insecure about how Googlers view them. Don't ignore your intuition, DoubleClickers. Your insecurities are real. Google employees — the armies of Harvard and Stanford grads who believe they are as smart Larry Page and Sergey Brin — will never cease to remind you that you went to Rutgers. How can we be sure of this? See our next reason.
• They made you reapply for your jobs: After Google CEO Eric Schmidt warned DoubleClickers that their jobs were not safe postmerger, Google managers echoed the threat by requiring DoubleClickers to submit their resumes for approval by committee. Then HR held job interviews. We can imagine how that went: "How do we know you aren't just some Rutgers graduate with a 2.75 GPA who will ruin our really useful company with your utter banality?"
• Underlings at Google aren't happy at Google, and they went to Yale: Even customer-service rep Googlers will look down on DoubleClickers. Why? To make their miserable lives seem fuller. As one tipster recently told us:

  The management within Google, especially AdWords and AdSense (the money making machines of the entire company ... engineering gets the glory but advertising brings in the big bucks) are completely disorganized and chaotic.

  Guess who's going to run DoubleClick.
• Not an advertising underling? There's equity to be had elsewhere: We just heard that ex-Yahoos are asking for $200,000 to $250,000 to join ad-supported startups in New York and the Valley. And if the startups are too cash-poor for that, they're getting big chunks of equity. At Google, you'll get, well, Google stock.

MetaCarta indexes more than 1,400 sources, including stories from the Associated Press, Reuters, and other news sites and blogs.

You can search for a place name or zoom into the map to a specific location, and articles related to that spot will be displayed. Repositioning the map refines the search. You can also browse by category, such as health, politics, sports, and world news.

The AP and Reuters stories are displayed in a window on the site, while clicking on other items sends you to the source site.

There are no ads right now, but eventually there may be classified listings and ads associated with businesses, says Rick Hutton, vice president of content at MetaCarta.

MetaCarta lets you search for news using a map.

(Credit: MetaCarta)

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