Sorry I have been so bad with consistent posts lately. I’m working on a couple of WordPress projects that are diverting my attention and which I’ll share with you once they’re up (in beta). Anyway, on one of the current projects I installed the WordPress plugin, AJAXed WordPress, and implemented a trick to compress my CSS stylesheets to decrease load time.

Below are some especially beautifully designed and conceptualized WordPress themes I think you’ll love.

Under Water: Just look at it. This is a well conceptualized, simple and fun WordPress theme. Great use of a background png and one of few times I see a static background with scrolling content not seem amateurish and visually distracting. I also love how the post meta is like a little sidebar for each post.

Recently I’ve had to manipulate my OPML files to get some feeds and a blogroll to work the way I want. I found that there are fortunately quite a few options to get links and rss feed URLs to read and link the way I need and thought I would share these options with y’all. What is an OPML file you ask? Well, let me show you rather than tell you. Add “wp-links-opml.php” to the end of your home page URL for your WordPress blog (example: http://www.wordpresspad.com/wp-links-opml.php). See all that XML code gibberish, that’s your blogroll (list of links) as an outline.

I’ve been quite a busy bee these past few weeks and been so inconsistent with posting at The WordPress PAD. Other than learning how to use Drupal and Joomla content management systems, and the new WordPress 2.5, I’m also starting a blogging network for bloggers in the City of Oakland where I live, work and play…mostly. In doing the research for the design and development of the blog network, I’ve come a cross some great information, plugins and trends in blogging that all relate in a sense to a term I’ve just recently learned about yet apparently I have always been wanting to express in the perfect (in my mind) web presence. It’s called Lifestreaming. Lifestreaming is basically pulling all your web activities from multiple sources online on to one space, your web site.

Just thought I’d pass along this resourceful article on WordPress 2.5 from The Blog Herald that lists many websites and blogs talking about WordPress 2.5, helpful hints and opinions. See the post here: WordPress Wednesday News: WordPress 2.5, Security Issues, Plugins Updated, WordPress vs WordPressMU, and More

So I am redesigning my sister’s outdated website (Tayoland.com) that I designed and developed a couple of years back. I’m converting it from a static website into a blog. I thought what better opportunity to play with WordPress 2.5 since my sister is in no hurry for the blog to be done. Using the Simpleton WordPress theme as my framework to layout the new blog website, I was able to also play with the widgets as well since it’s widget ready. I added a couple of extra “sidebars” to the bottom of the theme as well so I can add rss widgets to the bottom of the home page for SEO and practical purposes since the right sidebars are too small for title length text.

My assessments so far is that the new administration area for WordPress 2.5 itself is great. It makes sense and is very user and “newbie” friendly. It’s similar to the Wordpress.com administration area but of course with more admin features.

Not only is a new (and hopefully improved) version of WordPress 2.5 available, WordPress.org has a new website design. Could this be a sign of good things to come with the new installation? The category and slow speed bugs fixed? Well, the only way to tell is to go ahead and download and install the bloody thing, right?