Wordpress 2.7 Wish Lists

Although Wordress version 2.6.2 has just been released a few days ago, Ryan Roben, one of Wordperss developers team opens up a little secret that Wordpress 2.7 is on the pipeline. The WP 2.7 promises a whole lot new features including “reply to comments from the admin, threaded comments and new wp_list_comments() API, automatic plugin install and integrated plugin browser, automatic upgrade of WordPress” and many more.
Read more

Wordpress 2.6 Tyner

Wordpress 2.6 released today and announced officially by Matt Mullenweg, the wordpress founder. I know it when I wanted to write a post, there is a link comes up at the top of “write post” menu announcing the release of Wordpress Version 2.6 “Tyner,” named for jazz pianist McCoy Tynerand, urging wordpress blogging platform users to update it. Peter Hagopian of Information Week has a good wrap-up of wordpress 2.6 main features (and bug fixes):
Read more

All in One SEO Pack Plugins

This plugins seem good and promising both for newbie and oldies wordpress blogger alike. If it means what it says, the plugins really what any bloggers are looking for: a SEO tools which aint require you to sweat it out. Just install it, activate it and wait for the result.

Interested? Download it here.
Read more

Free Wordpress Blog with AdSense

Edublogs.org, a free blog services using the latest wordpress blogging platform with 100,000 plus users has just announced a surprising offer: now you can put the juicy AdSense code, indeed any javascript code, into your sidebar widget. One who loves blogging, loves latest wordpress utility with its Google friendly interface, loves free blog services, and loves making money online can just put these many attributes in one words: Edublogs.org. Sign-up, and you’ll just get what you want. I’ve already had an account in edublogs.org but it’s mainly for back-up purposes. But now I may change my mind.

Actually there are already two popular free blog providers that offer javascript-enabled wordpress namely blogsome.com and blogs.ie. Unfortunately, both are never upgrading their wordpress software into the latest version which make them look very “old.”
Read more

Threaded Comment Wordpress Plugins

I have just added the brians’ threaded comment plugins (formerly nested comment plugins) here in this blog. I’ve planned to upload this nice plugins long ago but still couldn’t find the right time to do so or just forgot once I connect to the internet. This plugins is nice in the sense it’ll make disscussion more lively: the third commentator, for example, who wants to comment on the first comment can just easily click the “reply this comment” in the comment #1 precisely like the way mailing list works.

Unfortunately, just like any other wordpress plugins, it can only be done in a self-hosted blog. Wordpress.com, the free blog services owned by Automattic–the wordpress blogging platform company–has yet to include it into its by-default wordpress.com build up.
Read more

On Dealing With Criticism

Blogger: On Dealing With Criticism
There’re a heating and contentious debate on my several postings in this blog regarding criticism: on how to criticise; what the rule of the game to convey your criticism and whether your criticism is in accordance with the “Indonesian tradition” (I dont know exactly what does it mean? What kind of traditions among various ethnic and tribal traditions in Indonesia which can claim as the most “Indonesian,” anyway?). And, especially, if you convey the criticism to the President of Indonesia.

Nitnot and Nishimoto, for example, dont agree with even constructive criticism to a head of state. Or if it’s a must, you must do it in a gentle manner in accordance with the “Indonesian tradition” or “Eastern tradition.”

Well,for me, the above views a bit weird, to say the least due to several reasons:

First, what Indonesian tradition or eastern tradition, anyway. The “gentle manner” the Indonesian way is not easy term to define. Indonesia is a country with no monolitic tradition. Gentle according to javanese or sundanese tradition could be understood as “hypocrit” from other ethnic/tribal traditions like Madura or Batak, etc.

Second, criticism is a good thing we “imported” from the West. It’s one package of democracy as part of freedom of expression and civil society live. Why we voluntarily adopted to democratic package of values, and want to put away one value i.e. freedom of expression which is inherent in it? How can we claim our country as democratic by excluding the tradition of criticism?

Third, we have taken more blindly and uncritically a-not-so-good tradition from the West like free sex, the pop culture, lesbianism, homosexualism. And never talk and debate about it. There’s no talk about the above points as “un-Indonesian”. I mention this point simply to emphasize there’s something wrong with the way we think: we, most of us, Indonesians, have a tendency to be “blind” on anything that’s not offended our individuality, our ego and feelings, whatever damage the things has caused to our society. On the contrary, we are easily angry on a little things that hurt the ego, criticism just a good example among many others. In other words, individuality is getting more emphasis than society.

Any criticism, including the one conveyed by Tylla to the President, and by myself in this blog are directed and intended for the betterment of our society, our nation. If this kind of criticism is disliked by many of us, certainly it’s a bad and sad phenomenon which should be regarded as very very unfortunate.