What can we look forward to seeing in the new release of WordPress 3.0? Here are just a few:

• Merge of WordPress MU (multi-user) into regular WordPress
• New default theme called Twenty Ten
• Ability to choose your own user name instead of the typical “admin”
• Welcome Guide comes with every blog hosting account
• Better navigation menus
• Custom post types

The list is actually quite large and will take up much space if we go through them all. However, you get the idea. We are very excited to be a part of this wonderful occasion as we are also launching the new and improved WordPress 3.0 for all Bitwik customers to enjoy. There will be a link notifying you of the update within the WordPress Dashboard when the update is ready for you.

We will keep you posted as we get ready to launch WordPress 3.0 very soon!

Whatever you do, make it a point to build your blog. Think of it as water to a plant. The plant will grow when you water it and this is something that must be done on a regular basis. Also, don’t forget to check out other fellow Bitwik bloggers as they strut their stuff on the net. You can learn a ton of great ideas or techniques by doing this. For those of you that have a blog but are a little concerned as to what to do or how to do it, it’s not a problem. Because now you know that with a little preparation and a couple minutes every couple of days, you will have your blog full of wonderful ideas and content for the whole world to see. Do you have a blog? With the help of some posts and the creativity of Bitwik you will be able to make it grow!

The same ill feeling has taken over many as they deal with a server that has failed or one that may have lost a hard drive that holds their blog data. Did you make a backup of your blog before this happened? How long ago was the backup made? These are serious questions! Do you even know how to back up your data? Well, some reading this may think they have done a good job backing things up, nothing compares to the 30 minute backup service that some hosting companies are now offering. Bitwik, for example, offers full server backups every 30 minutes making it possible to retrieve data that has just recently been accidentally deleted from your blog. This service is fee of charge for most clients. Imagine, the whole account has accidentally been deleted, database full of information from years and years of posting, gone! No problem, because all you have to do is login and retrieve your data from only 30 minutes ago.

This has happened just recently to a customer who just moved to Bitwik. Before the move was completed, the old hosting company corrupted the database and no good or healthy backups where ever made. The customer would’ve just lost 9 years worth of data if not for the knowledgeable blog team at Bitwik, who were able to successfully fix the database and recover 9 years worth of blog posts. Needless to say, a backup could have saved this customer from the worst possible event of account deletion or database corruption. Our customer is extremely happy with the outcome of such a tragic event. They are also taking advantage of Bitwik’s free 30 minute backup services to the full so as to never lose their data again. Backups are so important to the life of the blog!

How about for smart-phone users? Yes, you too have a data safety net that you can take full advantage of. Many have used Google Sync while others like the services of SMRTGUARD. In either case, these tools will keep your contacts, emails, sms, chats, etc… backed up. Remember that, water damage, theft, or simple failures can reek havoc on your life when these plague your smart-phone data. However, by taking steps now you will be well prepared to handle these challenges to your data when they do arise, and one or more of these things are lurking around the corner even as you read this post. Please take steps now so as to protect your data.

Some companies have not been blocked and are going strong even under such strong attempts to control the media. One of these companies is Bitwik Blog Hosting. So far, many in China have been able to blog freely using Bitwik’s servers and are doing so with vigor. This is exactly what bloggers need right now in the current state of affairs, a way to express their thoughts with such conviction! Bitwik has been able to successfully fly under the Chinese government’s radar for quite some time now. It is wonderful to see that blogging is still alive and kicking in China. As long as Bitwik keeps up their good work maintaining your blog’s freedom, you can keep proclaiming your’s, even from China.

WordPress 2.9 also sports image editing, a new release of TinyMCE, and improvements in media embedding. Comments for pages have been added to the default “Kubrick” theme, so blogs can now have comments on pages as well as posts. When setting up new blogs, the default first post will be more informative about how to use WordPress as opposed to the old-style “Hello World” post which gave you no information on how to use WordPress. This feature is great for those that are very new to the platform or are just getting started with blogs in general.

WordPress 2.9 also includes a slew of changes for WordPress developers, with 84 changes listed on the Codex. Changes range from improved documentation for the WP File System to support for new post types and limiting checks for “blog by email” to every five minutes. Plugin users can now report on the Plugin Directory whether plugins are compatible with a version. This data will be used with the WordPress compatibility checker so users can get a sense whether a plugin is compatible with their release of WordPress or not.

Assuming no major bugs are found, WordPress 2.9 should be released “before the end of the week.” The release candidate download is now available for those that are interested in giving it a test drive. However, we will be patiently awaiting the full release which is only days away from being launched!

Updating to WordPress 2.9 will be a piece of cake since the automation tools within WordPress does most of the work for you. So, whether you are new or experienced in the world of WordPress, you will be excited to know that the features and usability of WordPress 2.9 has made the blogging experience an even better one! Feel free to let us know what you think of version 2.9 as we near it’s release soon.

What makes these templates stand out from the rest? Well, seeing is believing in this case. Please view them for yourself and see what you think. What is even more spectacular is that Bitwik is now offering these designer templates to all customers that really want to give their blog fans a warm and professional feel without the high price that usually comes with such a look. Each of these templates come with all of the needed plugins as well as the Photoshop files so design changes are much more customizable to fit your unique needs.

Not only are these templates designed with the user in mind, they are extremely affordable if one ever decided to purchase an account of their own. However, Bitwik clients can sit back and enjoy, since all of these templates are now available to all. If you see a template that you like, let us know and we will gladly get it for you.

Feel free to check out some of the previews of these wonderful templates by clicking here.

Since we are all fans of jazz at Bitwik, Mike and Jesse thought it would be best to bring “de Blob” into our lives. We have to agree that they are both quite smart (and I am looking for a promotion as you might be able to see). We love the game! You may need a little background on the game, so here you go. You play Blob who is the main character in the game. The city has been taken over by INKT and all of their Inkies which are all under the control of Captain Black. They are sucking the color out of the city and leaving it a monochromatic gray as well as sucking the joy out of the city’s inhabitants. To make it worse INKT has captured most of the inhabitants and made them slave-workers. It all seems so very bleak for everyone… but out of nowhere comes Blob (you) to save the day! It is your job to slam, splatter, spray, as much paint all over the city to bring it back to life. At the same time find and release all of the captures that have been enslaved by INKT. It is all quite simple and that is what makes this game so much fun.

It is so energetic with lively colors and graphics. You will find yourself smiling at the humor that is injected into every cut scene. Packed full of unlockable features and extra, deBlob keeps on getting better with every minute you play it. The soundtrack is the absolute best part. While you’re painting the city in the brightest of colors, the music keeps changing and building with Blob’s every move. It is a game that will want to crank up the volume with and leave it up! DeBlob has some of the funkiest soundtracks making it what it is… FUN TO PLAY! If you haven’t had a chance to play de Blob yet, take a moment out of your day and rent it. It is something that the whole family will enjoy. We know we at Bitwik are loving it!

Hey! You want to tell us about a game or activity that brings you or your office joy, feel free to share the love and tell us about it. If it works in our office you will see it on our blog too!

It all started when Mike was preparing the staff for daily briefings and that’s all he pushed. “You need to have fun with this you guys. Crank up the jazz and let it happen!” Boy oh boy, there’s never been more productivity on the floor! But why jazz? Why not heavy metal to get the blood pumping? Haha! We tried that before and it didn’t turn out so great. Besides the pounding headaches, things would get really out of order and fast! But at least nobody got hurt. We think the jazz music brings out the best in all of Bitwik.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to feel great yet today, try listening to some jazz. Perhaps some smooth jazz, like what plays on sky.fm. You owe it to yourself to indulge in this wonderful form of peace, while at the same time feeling the uncontrollable desire and energy to get things done! So, now you know why Bitwik loves jazz music, and of course, blogs! Keep crankin’ up the jazz and blog about it!

Do you really think companies are giving you free blog services at no cost to you, the client? Maybe it is time to look at what really happens behind the scenes for a moment. When you sign up for a free service, not naming any names, you are really (in essence) signing up to market their company for them. Yeah, you are marketing full-time for a company that doesn’t even know you exist. What’s worse than that? Not getting paid a dime for all of your hard work! Well, how does this work? You have to stop and think for a moment about how much work, sweat and tears goes into getting a blog to a high level of popularity. For anyone that has reached this pinnacle of success, they will attest that it is one of the most difficult tasks they have ever accomplished. And after all of the work you finally have an audience that is loving every minute of your effort to get them helpful or entertaining information.

So far it doesn’t sound too bad, does it? But, now you look at the hundreds (of thousands) of links that you have coming to your blog and you notice something very odd, even though it has been there from the very start. Only now do you notice it though and it sticks out like a soar thumb once you come to an accurate knowledge of the blog and how it really works. What is it? Well, I can tell you what it is NOT. It sure as heck isn’t YOUR DOMAIN NAME that you have worked so hard to make popular. Who is reaping the benefits or you hard work? It is the domain name of your free blog service! Can you believe it? This whole time you have been suckered into giving them credit (hits/popularity) for your blog content and have been making them tons of money! Don’t take my word for it. Look at the address bar in your browser the next time you are on your blog. What do you see? What business name is in the URL of your blog address? So, now that we have your attention…there’s something that you should know about. YOU can take full control of your blog and stop promoting other companies that are riding on your blog’s success.

Here’s what you need to know. First of all, you don’t need a free service to save money during your part/full-time blogging career. The money you save will actually come back to bite you in the end. Second, who do you want to give the credit to once you finally built a successful blog? That’s easy…YOU! So, stop using someone else’s domain name in your blog (URL) address and start using your own. How do you do that? This brings us to the third item, DOMAIN NAME MAPPING! With DNM you can free yourself from the grips of big corporation tactics and start building what you always wanted for you blog, freedom and the possibility of earning some extra income. When you use DNM you are using YOUR DOMAIN NAME and not a portion of someone else’s.

What are the benefits of DNM? For starters, since you are not using someone else’s domain name, YOU get all of the credit for your blogs success. When you use DNM you are able to give friends, family, magazines, TV spots, phone conversations, other sites, blogs, and more a short, precise, and simple-to-remember domain name. Who want’s to remember that old, long, drawn-out url that you used to have? Nobody does! Now you can use YOUR DOMAIN NAME for everything that you do.

Another good thing about DNM is that you are safe. In what sense can we say that? Remember how much time it takes to build a blog to the level of success that is desired by you and all other hearty bloggers out there. It only takes one descision by a CEO or a company buyout to put that “free” blog service out of business. So, you have no choice but to ask yourself this sobering question… “what happens when my free blog service is gone”. Better yet, what is going to happen to the blog that you have put so much time into? Here’s the answer you’re not going to appreciate…it’s gone! People will hear your agonizing screams for miles as you yell, “my blog is dead”!

In conclusion, you need to start using YOUR OWN DOMAIN NAME and start making a name for your own blog. By using DNM you can do this! You are not necessarily saving money with your free blog hosting service and you don’t know what’s going to happen in the very near future when your “free” service could be a thing of the past. Domain Name Mapping is for anyone that is serious about blogging and wants credit where credit is due. With DNM you can promote your blog to all 4 corners of the earth without having to remember a long URL that isn’t even yours. Consider using DNM to obtain a short and professional domain name for your blog and tell everyone about it. Better yet, use your own domain name and blog about it!

What about our support team? Well for starters, we decided to hire the funnest, most professional, blog knowledgeable, and just plain awesome people as our staff members! That was not as easy as you might think since so many out there claim to know everything. We had to painfully struggle and sift through all of the “rubbish” to finally, at last, pick only the best ones. Now these hard working staff members take care of our clients with special care, while at the same time competing in “air guitar” contests and inventing new flavors of coffee to experiment with! What?! Why the coffee? Well, it used to fuel the 24×7 support team that offers the best support anywhere! Yes, Bitwik is completely staffed with talented people and they are a blast to work with as well!

For the young ones we are offering something really cool too! You would be hard pressed to find any “simple to use” blog tools out there to assist your young one’s desire to blog. However, we have you covered! Parents can now choose from the simplest of plans giving your young one an extremely “easy to use” platform. Yes, it is now very possible for young individuals to start their own blog and get their ideas out there. It makes for a great avenue to vent or share their thoughts on a public platform. It’s better not to bottle up feelings and ideas, but to express them freely! But what if security and protection is of your utmost importance? No problem! We know just how important security, privacy, and protection is to you. You need not worry about others finding you or your young one’s personal information. We offer free domain name Privacy Protection for all of the kid’s accounts. This is extremely important and many find it reassuring that a company offers such perks to parents and young ones alike. Now it is safe and easy to get your youngster’s blog up and running.

The equipment we host your blog on is extremely powerful and has all of the latest bells and whistles included! Don’t forget that our servers are fully managed and we offer a 100% uptime guarantee! Yeah, we actually go out of our way to keep your blog online and give you the 24×7 support to make it happen. Although we don’t charge an arm and a leg for the services we offer, we do hold our service at an extremely high level and pride ourselves on doing such. You should never have to worry about your blog as to whether it is online or not. Leave that kind of worrying to us! Besides, you have enough to worry about as it is. Take care of yourself and leave the blog hosting to us!

Our desire is to offer you a vast variety of blogging tools and packages so you will never have to worry about going anywhere else to blog like the pros. In fact, we have packages available for young and old, beginner and professional, student and teachers, small business and corporate alike! Simply choose the package and go!

Well, that’s about it for the first post, but stay tuned, there’s a lot more to come :) Oh, and I almost forgot, grow your blog to be healthy and strong. Feed it at least three large portions of text daily!