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Chances are, if you have a self-hosted WordPress blog, you’ve dealt with issues when upgrading to latest versions. In my experience (and likely yours), most upgrades are completed without issue but there are always those few that make you spend half the day trying to get the WordPress back to normal, much less, up to date.

Now this time, WordPress has reached a new milestone. Three point zero. A new era for WordPress.

Or in the case of your own blog, just the thought of upgrading to it creates a panic with flashbacks of the Y2K millennium bug thrown in. OK, maybe not that bad but you get the picture.

Usually I like to wait for the x.1 release in any kind of software to which irons out the bugs in x.0 versions. Yet, I went against my own logic, made a backup of my WordPress files and database and pulled the trigger.

Whew! Everything ok. Upon first glance, other than a slight makeover in the appearance of the admin, it’s pretty much the same.

Now, of course, just because my upgrade went ok doesn’t guarantee your own WordPress blog will be easily upgraded, especially with the multitude of plugin choices and server configurations per blog. It’s probably safe for me to say, though, that if an upgrade went smoothly for you in the past, then there likely won’t be an issue moving to 3.0.

But just in case, here are a few resources to let you know what’s new in 3.0 and make sure that 3.0 upgrade gets done correctly (and in case the auto-upgrade ends up a manual one).

8 New and Exciting WordPress 3.0 Features

Aside from the overhaul in the guts of the software, there are these cool new features. For some of them, you can say “It’s about time!”

Resource Guide to a Smooth WordPress 3.0 Upgrade

Here is a great, informative article to check out before upgrading. Includes resources on backing up your WordPress (very important) and troubleshooting problems during an upgrade.

Updating WordPress (From all versions)

From the WordPress Codex, these are the steps you should follow when upgrading. I know it’s tempting just to click the auto-update button and let it take care of itself (with fingers crossed). These steps should be followed though.

Manually Upgrading Your WordPress (From all versions)

Hopefully you won’t have to use this but these are the steps to take when the auto-update fails or you are upgrading from much older versions. This page saved my own blog several times.

WordPress Installation Problems

Alright, if things get real bad, this is a good place to start.

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Have you had any issues or some advice we can use when upgrading your WordPress to 3.0?

Leave a comment and share!

More on the author, Johnny Spence
Johnny is the founder of The Freelance Rant and a freelance web programmer with 8 years in the business. Have a visit at his company Oscarrr!web or see what he's up to on Twitter.

And while we're on the subject...

• WordPress Tips You Really Should Know, Part I: Backups
• Holy Hackers! WordPress Users Be On The Lookout
• WordPress Tips You Really Should Know, Part II: Speeding Up Your Blog