We’re very excited to help spread the news that Thelonious, the latest version of WordPress, is available for download. Read the full announcement on WordPress.org. Even better, IntenseDebate is compatible with WordPress 3.0.

Hats off to all contributors, including Beau Lebens (you know him as the code ninja behind the IntenseDebate WordPress Plugin and Gravatar Profiles).

Major new features in this release include a sexy new default theme called Twenty Ten.

Theme developers have new APIs that allow them to easily implement custom backgrounds, headers, shortlinks, menus (no more file editing), post types, and taxonomies. (Twenty Ten theme shows all of that off.) Developers and network admins will appreciate the long-awaited merge of MU and WordPress, creating the new multi-site functionality which makes it possible to run one blog or ten million from the same installation.

As a user, you will love the new lighter interface, the contextual help on every screen, the 1,217 bug fixes and feature enhancements, bulk updates so you can upgrade 15 plugins at once with a single click, and blah blah blah just watch the video. (In HD, if you can, so you can catch the Easter eggs.)

via – WordPress.org

Posted by Michael Koenig in News

Chris Gammell wrote an excellent post about his experience using IntenseDebate.  After reading Matt Mullenweg’s post, 6 Steps To Kill Your Community, Chris was compelled to give IntenseDebate a try.  Here are some of his initial thoughts on how you can benefit from using IntenseDebate (via his post):

• Reply directly to comments made by others – No more calling out names, now it’s a hierarchical format that shows your reply directly below theirs.
• Login is easier — IntenseDebate let me create a Facebook app; not that I wanted to for personal gain, but now you can use Facebook to login to the comments here if you like. […] You can also login with Twitter, IntenseDebate, WordPress.com or it will just pull your photo in if you happen to use Gravatar (another Automattic creation, the same people that do WP).
• Subscribe to comments — I usually “set it and forget it” when it comes to commenting on sites. Once I’ve dropped off my two cents, I usually don’t care to stick around and refresh or I completely forget I commented somewhere. The comments subscription is easy and won’t overwhelm your inbox. Plus you can reply back to any replies you get through email.
• Voting – I don’t want this site to be a popularity contest, but sometimes you see a comment you really like. Now there’s a up/down arrow next to comments you think are really good so they’ll rise to the top. Similar to a reddit or more relevant ChipHacker. I like the “democratic” view of commenting–just because you’re the most recent doesn’t mean you should show up first. Even if you’re not planning on commenting, take a minute to click on comments you agree with.
• CommentLuv — This is a plugin that will pull your latest blog post title into your post automatically. It’s a simple way to show what you’ve been writing about even if you don’t want to write “PLEASE LISTEN TO ME AND VISIT MY SITE” in every post. I doubt that anyone on the internet ever does that kind of thing though. With this new plugin, it’s no big deal.
• Sharing – I really don’t think many people are submitting my posts to social media sites, but this is also integrated as a plugin (previously it was a plugin at the bottom of the post, not in the comments). If you feel the urge, I encourage it! (no pity submissions, please)

Many thanks to Chris for giving ID a try, and for sharing his review!

We depend on your support and feedback, and we always love your help with spreading the word about IntenseDebate.  Let us know if you publish a review of your experience with ID — we’ll be happy to give you a shout out, and help share your feedback with the rest of the blogosphere. 🙂

Posted by Michael Koenig in community,feedback

Jon Fox recently chatted about IntenseDebate with James Woodcock on his podcast.  Check it out at http://www.jameswoodcock.co.uk/?p=3421.  Podcast topics include (from James’ post):

• What is IntenseDebate?
• How did it all begin?
• Features of IntenseDebate
• Customization
• Any slowdown when adding so many features to your own site?
• Rating comments
• Facebook and Twitter integration
• Reputation system
• The dreaded SPAM
• Additional plugins for IntenseDebate
• Automattic Inc. purchasing IntenseDebate and the effect of this transaction
• IntenseDebate future on WordPress.com blogs
• What can IntenseDebate offer over any rivals with a similar feature list?
• Looking to the future…
• IntenseDebate on Mobile devices
• HTML5 and VP8

Many thanks to James for having Jon on. We’re always happy to chat, so give us a shout if you’d like to have us on your own podcast.

Posted by Michael Koenig in community,News

We receive loads of feedback from you all on how to improve IntenseDebate, and the majority of what we develop is based on your requests. I read and respond to all of your emails, and one piece of feedback I receive daily is that we all love trackbacks, but sometimes they can really get in the way of a solid debate when they’re mixed in with your comments.

With that in mind, we’ve added a new layout option to separate trackbacks from the comments section. This new stylish option places your trackbacks above the comment section instead of having them mixed in.

This option is available at the bottom of your Comments Settings page at http://intensedebate.com/edit-site-comments.

Thanks again for your feedback!

Posted by Michael Koenig in features

WordCamp is coming to my home town of Chicago this weekend, at the Chicago Mart Plaza. If you’re in the area, pick up a ticket at http://wordcampchicago.com/registration. You’d better hurry because there are only 16 advanced tickets left. I’ll be there (along with some slick IntenseDebate stickers for your laptop) and I’d love to meet you!

In case you’re not familiar with it:

WordCamp is a conference that focuses on everything WordPress. WordCamps are informal, community-organized events that are put together by WordPress users like you. Everyone from casual users to core developers participate, share ideas, and get to know each other. WordCamps are open to WordPress.com and WordPress.org users alike.

Posted by Michael Koenig in community