
WordPress

WordPress 5.6 brings you countless ways to set your ideas free and bring them to life. With a brand new default theme to use as your canvas if you don't want to have a bespoke theme developed by our Swindon web designers, it supports an ever-growing collection of blocks as your brushes. Paint with words, pictures, or sound. Or rich embedded media. Greater layout flexibility Bring your stories to...
Read More 
Prepare for breaking changes in WordPress 5.6, due 8th December 2020
WordPress 5.6 is due to be released tomorrow, 8th December 2020, and is the first recent major release that is not fully backward compatible with previous versions of WordPress in the 5.x version. This version of WordPress could potentially break websites. Our recommendation before updating your site to WordPress 5.6: Create a backup of your site’s files and the database Check your site’s...
Read More 
Unpacking the WordPress update fiasco (and why you need someone to keep an eye on your WordPress updates)
Everything doesn't always go to plan, and that was the case for a series of WordPress Update mishaps recently. On Thursday, October 29th the WordPress core team released WordPress version 5.5.2. This was a minor release containing bug fixes and security enhancements to the core WordPress content management system powering over one-third of the internet. In the WordPress 5.5.2 release, the...
Read More 
WordPress has announced a killer new feature
WordPress has announced a killer new feature that provides greater integration for Twitter users. Now, WordPress content creators, with Jetpack installed, can publish an entire blog post as a Twitter thread, with just two extra clicks. The new feature means that integration between the two platforms has come full circle after WordPress announced that entire Twitter threads, also known as...
Read More 
Post Grid WordPress Plugin Flaw Found “Patch it sharpish if you use it…”
Two high-severity vulnerabilities in Post Grid, a WordPress plugin with more than 60,000 installations, opens the door to site takeovers, according to researchers. To boot, nearly identical bugs are also found in Post Grid's sister plug-in, Team Showcase, which has 6,000 installations. The issues are a cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw as well as a PHP object-injection issue. Both bugs are pending...
Read More 
WordPress 5.5.1. Speed. Search. Security.
In WordPress 5.5.1, your site gets new power in three major areas: speed, search, and security. Speed Posts and pages feel faster, thanks to lazy-loaded images. Images give your story a lot of impact, but they can sometimes make your site seem slow. In WordPress 5.5, images wait to load until they’re just about to scroll into view. The technical term is ‘lazy loading’. On mobile, lazy...
Read More 
WordPress 5.5 nearly ready for launch! Is your website ready?
The WordPress development team has now released the first release candidate for WordPress 5.5! This is an important milestone in the WordPress community’s progress toward the final release of WordPress 5.5 to website owners. If you're not familiar with software development terminology, “Release Candidate” means that the new version is ready for release, but with millions of users and...
Read More 
WordPress 5.4.2 is now available, upgrade today!
WordPress 5.4.2 is now available (release date 10th June 2020) to be installed and fixes a small mix of bugs and security issues (see release notes) - so we recommend installing it as soon as you can to keep your site running at its best. For O'Brien Media customers with support agreements, WordPress 5.4.2 will be installed as part of your monthly maintenance service, you don't need to take any...
Read More 
Is your website’s front door wide open to WordPress hackers?
It is frustrating to find out that your WordPress site has been hacked, recently one of our customers asked us why do hackers target WordPress? The answer is usually, in part at least, due to the very reason that WordPress is such a popular content management system for websites, its active developer community and the volume of free plugins and free themes available to customise your site without...
Read More 
Why you shouldn’t keep inactive WordPress plugins installed
Plugins extend your site’s functionality with things like contact forms, eCommerce and much more. Being so critical to your website means they have deep access to the inner workings of your site, so it’s vital to keep them up to date to ensure your site stays secure, safe for your visitors, and online and accessible. Inactive plugins are tempting targets for attackers, including hackers who...
Read More