Photo: Sprinkler dogs by <a href=B.Hbers (via Flickr)">

Photo: Sprinkler dogs by B.Hbers (via Flickr)

The Best of WordPress.com: Summer Edition

This month: Tips for WordPress.com bloggers, a new Social Icons Widget, and Haruki Murakami’s advice to young writers.

July 10, 2017

Margarita Noriega

Hi everyone! Here’s a snapshot of some of the excellent WordPress.com community advice, insights, and updates that we enjoyed over the past month.

What’s new

Introducing Your New Social Icons Widget

The Social Icons Widget allows you to connect your site to your favorite social media networks. You can activate it by going to My Site → Customize → Widgets. Check out the full guide to using the new widget or just watch the video above to learn more.

An All-New Media Library for the WordPress iOS App

In May we launched a new media picker for Android iOS users, and in June, we announced a new media library in the 7.8 release of WordPress for iOS. It includes a top-level section for each site you manage. With one tap from the details menu, you can view all your media, search, edit metadata, delete items, and upload new items. How’s that for efficiency? Download the easy to use WordPress app for iOS and Android.

Designing for [X]: Visual artists

New Theme: AltoFocus

The AltoFocus theme features a tiled layout that’s designed to help visual artists showcase their talents. The grid automatically shifts to accommodate new posts, no matter the screen size. Try it out, leave a link to your AltoFocus-themed site in the comments, and tell us how well you think it shows off your best work.

In your toolbox: inspiration + insights

Blogging Made Easier: Five Tricks You Should Know

Leif Singer, part of the design and research team at WordPress.com, shared a few features that streamline your publishing experience, including how to easily add images to posts and respond quickly to comments. We hope these tricks help you accomplish your site and blogging goals.

101 Books to Dive Into This Summer

Illustration by Maya Sariahmed

TED Ideas (powered by WordPress.com VIP) compiled dozens of recommendations by TED speakers and published a summer reading list to conquer all others. Whatever your areas of interest, you’ll find something excellent on this list.

Quotables: “We are─or at least I am─equipped with this expansive mental chest of drawers. Each drawer is packed with memories, or information. There are big drawers and small ones. A few have secret compartments, where information can be hidden. When I am writing, I can open them, extract the material I need and add it to my story.” – Haruki Murakami’s Advice to Young Writers (Longreads).

Now following

WordPress.org’s new monthly updates, which has launched with a few awesome announcements for June.

Photographer Sean Strecker’s new site, strex.blog, shows off works like this photo of a winter sunset overlooking Burleigh Beach.

Follow us on Twitter for insights about the WordPress.com community, writing tips, plus the top daily business, technology, and social media news. Tweet using the hashtag #PoweredbyWordPress to share your latest work.

That’s all for now!

What did you love about your own work in June? Comment with a link to a post you’re proud of or something new you learned about designing your site. Feeling motivated? Download the WordPress app on iOS and Android.

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19 Comments

Comments are closed.

  1. Margarita Noriega Jul 10th at 6:34 pm

    Reblogged this on Margarita Noriega.

    Liked by 6 people

  2. Girl Undeleted Jul 10th at 6:56 pm

    Hey there! Just wondering if you’d take a moment to follow my blog, Ask Mia,
    (askmia11.wordpress.com) to post about any problems you may have? I get notifications when I get followers so I can add u as an author, then you can post and get advice about that little prob….
    Love the post 😍

    Liked by 7 people

  3. aconline17 Jul 10th at 7:11 pm

    I’m new so I would love off anyone noticed. I blog about drama or issues or things that are happening to me xx

    Liked by 7 people

  4. allthingscoastalsite Jul 10th at 7:55 pm

    I am just trying to work out how to buy a domain name and then do I need to put my blow on the new website or should or could they be separated? Not sure where to go for this advice?

    Liked by 5 people

    • livesupdates Jul 11th at 4:51 am

      Good, good buying a domain is a good idea, all you need to do go to your blog, where you see domain click it and put the name, follow all instructions to buy the domain.

      Liked by 2 people

  5. Dorinda Duclos Jul 10th at 8:25 pm

    Reblogged this on Thanks for Noticing Me.

    Liked by 7 people

  6. Home's Cool! Jul 10th at 8:41 pm

    I am shocked to have learned that with wp.com we CAN have an email list working with MailChimp, we CAN have a PayPal button for selling our things, and we CAN make a landing page. The synapses are still echoing, but before long, I will jump in! How did I miss these? I’ve been using wp.com for 9 years! 😀

    Oh, and I love the new larger socmed icons! Whew!

    Liked by 7 people

  7. yaothinglunghar Jul 10th at 10:05 pm

    Im new and i already loved it…

    Liked by 2 people

  8. lizzieartfairy Jul 10th at 10:08 pm

    Thanks so much Mia for contacting me. I really appreciate it sincerely! Lizzie

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Cortney Flenke Jul 10th at 10:13 pm

    Check it out:

    Unhiddentruthblog.wordpress.com

    Liked by 2 people

  10. nvsubbaraman Jul 10th at 10:57 pm

    Great opportumities for the veterans and beginners. Congratulations and thanks.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Abhishek Modi Jul 11th at 7:40 am

    https://indianviravada.com/2017/07/10/delhi-golf-clubs-classicist-colonial-hangover/

    Liked by 2 people

  12. prajaktha Jul 11th at 9:57 am

    Hi,nice post 👍 also visit my blog and leave your comments onlife and fitness blog.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. bornanafricangirl Jul 11th at 12:05 pm

    Hello Reader/ Fellow Blogger, i am new to WordPress and i would love for you to visit my blog, i blog about my journey through Christianity

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Steven Colborne Jul 11th at 1:58 pm

    I’ve been a blogger for many years, but I think I’m happier with my theme right now than I ever have been before. I’ve got my widgets along the right-hand side (Tortuga theme) and after getting feedback from friends I have adjusted the background and layout so the content really stands out 🙂

    I’m a perfectionist so always tweaking things but for the time being I’m a very satisfied customer/blogger!

    Thanks WordPress team for all your hard work, it’s a wonderful blessing to be a blogger and have access to a global audience 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  15. naveed7493 Jul 11th at 3:04 pm

    I am new here,don’t know all the features yet but yes really happy to read about new innovations in here…keep it up..!!!

    Liked by 2 people

  16. Xhorxhina Bami Jul 15th at 4:47 pm

    This is so amazing. Thank you very much for the tips. I just applied them, and my blog looks very personalized now thanks to you 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  17. Helen Potter Photography Jul 20th at 6:45 am

    Hi, hoping you can help.

    I have two WordPress sites but they have different menus!@

    1. http://www.kokosdogblog.com I can find sharing and add his Facebook page but on

    2. http://www.intouchphysio.com.au the list if different. It does not give me an option for My sites and I can’t find sharing.

    3. Can you assist please?

    4. Thanks Helen Potter

    Liked by 3 people

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