Some of you might be wondering why we've actually used the version of EasyBlog 3.5 instead of EasyBlog 4.0 since the previous releases are all incremented by one. When we started off with EasyBlog 3.0 a couple of months back, we have identified quite a number of difficulties that most users are facing. But that wasn't perfected enough as there were still some underlying usability issues which required our immediate attention.
Hence, instead of introducing EasyBlog 4.0, this time it would be EasyBlog 3.5.
I am very excited to be the first person to announce this and I guess the title of this blog itself already explains what the we've been busy with :) Yep, we've completed a new plugin that extends the basic functionality that JomSocial group offers. The plugin allows group members to contribute new blog posts for the group that they have joined and they will also be able to see them in the group pages itself.
It's been almost a week since we published some of the coolest features in EasyBlog 3.0. You can refer to the posts, Advanced Blogging in EasyBlog 2.1 and More on EasyBlog 2.1 if you missed them. This time around, the post is about the beta release which is now available in the forums.
I hope you are feeling excited as I am right now over the next upcoming major release of EasyBlog 3.0 . Yep, we initially planned to release it as 2.1 but considering the huge amount of new and improved features, a major update is more appropriate. So, instead, we'll be releasing it as EasyBlog 3.0 to help us and the users distinguish between the different version of the products easily.
It's been a week since we posted some leaks on EasyBlog 2.1 and just thought that I should share more about the new features that we've added in it since we are getting near towards the beta release...
Refreshed blog management
The current back end has been revamped to ensure that you would get a clearer picture of all the rich features that comes with EasyBlog unlike the prior which looks a little congested. Oh yes, the refreshed back end works well with Mission Control from Rocket Themes now.
We are currently moving our translations over to Transifex instead of the old manual way of processing language files. If you are a translator for our components but haven't yet signed up with Transifex, signup for an account there and create your own language resource. We'll approve them as soon as possible.
On top of that, we are also looking for new translators for languages that aren't added yet. If you are up for it, sign up for an account at Transifex and create your own team. We will then approve your requests.
We haven't really been pushing this out but just in case you hadn't noticed, EasyBlog 2 will actually allow you to auto post from your Posterous accounts. The best part of them all, is you could link them up easily. All you need to do is to access your Posterous account at http://posterous.com (duh!)
We would like to invite all existing EasyBlog users to help spread the love for us at JoomlaBlogger (A professional blogger that blogs mostly about Joomla! related news ). JoomlaBlogger offers quick looks which is a preview of the component to their users.
If the component is rated well enough, they will then provide a full review of EasyBlog. It will be an un-biased review I believe as we do not actually pay them to have a full review. Therefore, we would like to invite our existing or new users to help us spread the love by voting us at the following URL :)
Phew, it has been a exhaustive week for all of us and we are finally nearing the release date for EasyBlog 2.0. We normally often get praises by users on how great EasyBlog 2.0 is but I can honestly say that most, if not all of these requests were actually contributed by our own users and I am writing this blog to Thank them all for giving us all these suggestions! Kudo's to everyone that suggested all these new functionality.
We would also like to take this opportunity to Thank our beta testers and translators who doesn't stop testing or translating and they have been of a great help in guiding us to this great release! The following user's has been of great help and I would like to give them credits here,
I have to admit that I do not really like how the current version of EasyBlog 1.8 works with the existing media or image manager. It was pretty simple to use but it was a hassle when I was trying to manipulate existing images. Based on the feedback's we have received, there seems to be a hassle for users trying to upload images into their own repository.
Hence, in EasyBlog 2.0 we have performed a major overhaul on our existing image manager allowing easy management for your site bloggers.
