In case you didn’t notice … the new WordPress is here – 3.5 “Elvin” (named in honor of drummer Elvin Jones, who played with John Coltrane).
So the main question is: Should you update your affiliate site to use the new version?
In short: Yes.
WordPress 3.5 brings many cool improvements and redesigned features. Some of them are not that visible, as they fix a number of bugs and improve the security of the whole platform (one of the main reasons to update). But some can be noticed right away, as they do a great job at improving the user experience and ease of use of your website.
New Media Manager
If we were to name the one major change in this version, it would have to be the new media manager.
There’s a completely new media uploader supporting drag and drop functionality. On top of that, you can also use drag and drop to manage your media, organize and move them around.
All this makes working with all sorts of image files way easier, and much like you’re used to doing it on your desktop computer.
New Default Theme
From now on the default theme is Twenty Twelve. It has a cool minimal look and a responsive construction that looks great on every device (desktops, tablets, smartphones). You can easily use it as the base for your affiliate site and then customize everything through widgets or child themes.
New High DPI Dashboard
This is more commonly known as the Retina supported dashboard.
In plain English, this new version makes sure that your dashboard looks great no matter what high definition device you use to access it.
Better Welcome Screen
The guys at WordPress have finally realized that their platform, even though great for multiple applications, is not that easy to grasp for new users. That’s why they’ve provided us with this new simpler and cleaner welcome screen that links to all the crucial areas of a WordPress site.
Update Now!
Updating your affiliate site is not a complex task. You can do it yourself by logging in as the admin and going to the Dashboard > Updates section.
(However, make sure to back up your site before updating it, just as a safety precaution.)
Once the update is done you’ll have a safer and more functional site … as simple as this.