Earlier today, I pushed a button to upgrade All Spin Zone to the newest major release of WordPress, version 2.1. For those of you who use WordPress as your own blog platform, I’™m pleased to report that the upgrade seems to have worked seamlessly.

Our host (bluehost.com) uses a software manager called Fantastico to install and upgrade software on our server platform, and it truly is fanstatic. Nearly every upgrade I’™ve done to the various pieces that run behind the scene in the nearly two years that we’™ve been with Bluehost has been easy. The transition to WP 2.1 was no exception.

If you’™ve encountered any site errors since I performed the upgrade, I’™d appreciate some feedback.

Lastly, I’™ve been informed that live-linking blogads are now available. If you’™re a potential advertiser who has rapidly changing content on your site (say, a political campaign website or news aggregator), what a neat way to get your message out! Early reports on clickthrough rates are phenomenal. Here’™s a link to a demo of live-linking blogads, and here’™s a link to ASZ’™s order page.

One of our favorite Philly bloggers, Susie Madrak @ Suburban Guerrilla, is getting ready to take a break from blogging. Seems she’™s become a hired gun for Philadelphia mayoral candidate Tom Knox. That’™s certainly a good thing for Susie, but a loss for the Philly progressive blogging community. History has shown that when the better bloggers on the left get hired away by political campaigns, they rarely return (at least in their previous blog personas), so we at ASZ wish the best to Susie.

Suburban Guerrilla isn’™t going away – it’™s being turned over, at least temporarily, to a couple of Susie’™s compatriots.

Susie also writes via email that her normal site is down today, for a variety of technical reasons, and that the temporary home for SG can be found here. Never mind -it’™s fixed now’¦

Anyway, salud, Susie!

We also (sadly) note the apparent passing of Whiskey Bar, one of the blogs that originally inspired me to start All Spin Zone. Discussion of Billmon’™s decision to pull the plug can be found at Firedoglake and Moon of Alabama.

I could never (and wouldn’™t even try to) match Billmon’™s unique writing style, his research ability, or depth of knowledge on a stunningly wide variety of topics. When comments were still allowed on Whiskey Bar, I was a frequently posting member of the community. One of ASZ’™s original contributors, Kate Storm, came to ASZ via Whiskey Bar as well. Billmon’™s voice and perspective will be missed. I sincerely hope that he’™ll return in some future online incarnation.

If I sent you an email, you’™re probably here to take a look at the new All Spin Zone. Drop your comments below, or email me. You know the address. By the way, if your comment doesn’™t show up immediately, it’™s because your ‘œvirgin’ comment here has to be approved out of a moderation cue – and after that, any subsequent comments should show up immediately.

I’™m thinking of recruiting a writer or two to the web site, and I thought I’™d throw out my first idea.

I know a Minister in a fairly conservative church in Erie, PA. He’™s not progressive, but I’™d bet he feels feeding the hungry is more important than demonizing either liberals or gays. Not that he thinks being gay is anything but a sin, but he also sees it as one sin among many. (Forgive me, Erie, if I got that wrong.)

What I’™d like to hire him on for at ASZ is to talk about those cases where he and other Evangelical Christians are treated as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party. Now my last conversation with him was a couple weeks ago, so i’™m not sure if he is still interested. But in our past here at ASZ we’™ve had highly religious writers who believed in the notion of social justice over the need for coopting religion for politics, so I see no conflict with our mission.

Let me know what you think, please. I should note, this guy will not come out as pro-choice or as pro-gay rights. But he doesn’™t see these as issues to preach about to any but his own congregation. Instead he will focus on the intersection of politics and religion in how he fears for his own gcongregation and the separation of church and state. Or, rather, the separation of church and Republican Party.

If you’™ve got strong feelings on this, please send me an email instead of a comment.

It’™s an award given by Life. . . or something like it. And they have recognized ASZ as the Best Group Blog. Other winners include Eschaton,Jesus’™ General, Crooks and Liars and Blondesense, so we’™re in pretty good company.

But a golden thong?

Doc’™s moving, and I have a lot of schtuff on my plate right now, so it’™s likely to be a very light posting week at ASZ. Right after Labor Day, Camp Casey goes mobile, congress is back in session, and the commander-in-chief is back in the people’™s house (finally!!), so there will most certainly be a lot to discuss.

Actually, there hasn’™t been a lack of things to write about ‘” but my muse has deserted me in recent days. Hopefully, she finds her way back home soon’¦

Since most of the ASZ unindicted co-conspirators are going to be engaged this coming weekend, I’™ve asked Charles Norman Todd to guest blog for the next few days.

You might recognize Charles, at least if you follow Carnival of the UnCapitalists – he’™s the original protagonist of C-un-C, and proprietor of Freiheit und Wissen. At the moment, Charles is engaged in a startup project (one that I’™m also proud to be a part of), UnCapitalist Journal. UCJ will be debuting in the near future, and I think you’™ll be pleasantly surprised – I’™ll make a big announcement when it’™s ready to launch.

In the meantime, Charles has graciously agreed to carry us through the long July 4th holiday in grand style. I think you’™ll be challenged by his insights into a variety of topics, which is why I begged and pleaded with him to cover for us.

Also over the weekend, we’™ll be running a ‘œBest of ASZ’ article at least once per day. For those of you new to the blog, it’™s a great way to get a taste of what we’™ve done over the past 18 months. For those of us who pour our guts into this enterprise day in and out for no compensation other than your readership, well, it’™s a cheapo way for us to catch a three day break.

Enjoy your weekend! (And I’™m still waiting for that Logan Square or Art Museum area invite to Live 8′¦)

The SpinDentist will not be writing for a few days. I’™m headed out to meet with family in the San Franciso area. Perhaps I’™ll spoil a couple little future flower girls, the spinnerettes, and the ring bearer and I will play a little pinball. Darn it, nieces and nephews need spoiling once in a while.

Pray for me, though. On Saturday I’™m golfing with my future father-in-law, and I’™ve not golfed in seven or eight years. Last time an alligator ate my balls! Yikes! At least this time I won’™t suffer that badly.

I shall return July 5.

You might have noticed a new link on the top menu – the BBS Zone – which is now open for business and your postings.

One of the reasons for transitioning to the new All Spin Zone home was to enhance the interactivity of the community. I considered several options, such as diaries / sub-blogs for ASZ members (ala dKos, MyDD, etc.), and ended up deciding that the diary model was not the easiest way to give members the ability to post their own thoughts on topics of their choosing.

Over the past month, I’™ve been putting together a BBS system using phpBB, and it’™s finally come fully together in the last few days. The ASZ writers will still be posting primarily on the ASZ Blog, but the addition of the BBS gives all of us a lot of flexibility that we didn’™t have previously.

So, take the BBS Zone for a spin – it’™s a great way to post your own articles and thoughts, and share interactive discussions with other ZoneBots on topics of interest to you. Please note that you have to create a new registration at the BBS Zone to participate – your ASZ Blog membership does not carry over to the BBS Zone.

Above all, enjoy the new toy!

If you’™ve noticed a slightly new look to ASZ over the past few days, it’™s thanks to graphics wunderkind sukabi. We’™re continuing to tighten things up in the new home, and are about ready to roll out some extended functionality to the ASZ site. Haven’™t registered as an ASZ member yet? You might want to – it doesn’™t cost you a dime, and you’™ll need to do so in order to access some of the new areas of ASZ that we’™ll be firing up over the next couple of weeks as time permits.