This week there was again a distinct lack of updates on my website. Partly because I was sick for a couple of days the previous week, and partly because I had a busy week at work. But mostly because I was spending my time working on an update for the theme I use for this website.

Like the last time that I announced a theme update it means that something significant has changed. With the 2.0.7 update it was about the changes I made to the available pages and their impact on this website. For my visitors this was an important update as those pages contain for example the rules of conduct for this website. Versions 2.0.8 through 2.0.12 didn’t get a mention as they were small point releases that either fixed a small issue or changed something minor.

However, with version 2.1 a few things have changed significantly. Most of it you won’t notice but there are three big changes that influence how you interact with this website.

Email subscriptions

Yes it is now possible to subscribe to this blog via email. Below every post and page there is now a form (if enabled) that will give you the option to subscribe for updates. Previously you could only do this by checking a check box on the comment form and place a comment. Bit of a hassle if you just want to receive updates.

This form is the familiar WordPress email subscription widget that you see on many blogs. Which means it works in the same way and is easy to use. It just looks different because I tweaked how it is displayed, a lot.

This change also means that the RSS subscription feed isn’t as noticeably present on that part of the page. Simply because those that use RSS feeds will know how to find it and use it.

Social Media

The old AddThis buttons are now gone and replaced by the JetPack Social media buttons (the cookie document doesn’t reflect this change yet). They are easy to use and a lot easier on the eye compared to the old buttons (and count shares on social media sites correctly).

It’s now also possible to use the familiar ‘like’ feature you see on many WordPress blogs. This is a feature I noticed that is quite popular among avid readers and fellow bloggers. Which made it a good choice to add.

Comments

As promised in the previous theme update the comment section has undergone a complete restyling.

It now uses the JetPack Comment form that allows you to comment with or without a registered account for this blog, or with your Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus or your WordPress.org account. This should make it easier for you to leave comments with your preferred identity.

This change also means that the layout of the comments themselves have undergone a drastic change. Gone is the old clunky version 1.1 styling which has been replaced by a new style that actually works in this theme. It also is easier on the eye and works the same as on many other WordPress blogs.

And much more

In total this update contains 21 changes that either resolve an issue for me or added/changed functionality. Most of this you won’t notice as these changes make it easier for me to maintain this blog.

However I do recommend that if you do see an issue on this website that you first clear your browser cache. This update should automatically refresh the files in your browser cache but it’s not uncommon that a browser is stubborn and won’t load the new files. If after that you still have an issue leave a comment or contact me with the details and I’ll look into it.