StudioPress just released version 1.6 of their Genesis Framework for WordPress. There are a few new features that are really cool (easier-than-before footer widgets, easier header images, etc.), but just the fact that they have an update at all says quite a bit.
I’m using the iPhone analogy quite a bit these days to help explain how WordPress works in relation to their online presence. The iPhone has apps, WordPress has plugins. iTunes has (firmware) updates for your iPhone, WordPress has core updates to the main system under the hood. But then there are apps (and plugins). If your version of Angry Bird (yes, seven-year-old son induced example) somehow isn’t working on your latest iPhone 4 because your iOS is out of date, all you need to do is update your iOS. Or if it’s not working because Angry Birds is out of date, you can be sure that they’ll have an update faster than you can say triple-blue-bird-explosion.
So when I see that my StudioPress Genesis Framework Theme has an update, I can be assured that there’s someone behind the scenes making updates, improvements, compatibility corrections, and new features. “Well, of course there are updates.” you say. But an updated core theme, with just a one-click update button from within your WordPress admin interface, just brings WordPress that much closer to the ease-of-use of the likes of the iPhone. Because there’s a company behind the theme (StudioPress and Copyblogger Media), I know they’re on top of it. Why do I care so much? If they’re so on top of it, that means that I–and you–don’t have to be as on top of it. We can rely on their team to make sure it’s all working well behind the scenes. Well, better than that, that it’s working even better than “working well,” that’s it’s rocking.
I manage a few hundred websites. This kind of support makes a difference. This kind of forward thinking and proactive community behind the scenes makes the difference for me between a theme just looks pretty and a theme that looks pretty–and works.
