On 8 May 2006 Spoonlabs released phpWordPress 3.2, announced as fully automated search engine optimisation, a more desktop-like administration using AJAX, 11 language packs, membership-based access, tabbed article management, enhanced search and a new plug-in manager. Each of these is now a standard question when choosing a CMS.
From the original phpWordPress forum · archived copy
phpWordPress staff (Product Line Manager) ·
The new version of phpWordPress brings major enhancements to the user experience and offers fully automated search engine optimization (SEO) that is guaranteed to turn your web pages into the search engines� favorites. With phpWordPress 3.2 you can start your Web publishing business within minutes, and get your share of the fast-growing Internet advertising market. phpWordPress 3.2 makes new strides in bringing a desktop-like experience to the article administration. The new set of features provides a more effective way of communicating with the server, utilizing the power of AJAX. This means you will be able to update various page elements without reloading the entire page, which will save you even more time. Understanding the importance of keeping your web content localized, Spoonlabs offers 11 different language packs for phpWordPress 3.2, including Arabic, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish. No other article management solution for the PHP platform offers this level of choice and flexibility when it comes to localizing your online publications. Some of the new and enhanced features of the new version of phpWordPress include: � Membership-based access, giving you control over which sections of the web site are open to the public or registered members only. � Tabbed article management, allowing you to add/edit an article and its options, add search engine options, add/edit display options (comments, ratings, etc.), and much more with only few clicks. � Enhanced search function, giving you greater control over the search criteria. � New plug-in manager, offering easy and hassle-free integration of third party scripts.
View the archived thread on the Wayback Machine. Usernames and contact details have been removed.
The thread for 8 May 2006 reproduces a press release. It says the new version “brings major enhancements to the user experience” and offers “fully automated search engine optimization (SEO)”. The company said the SEO would be “guaranteed to turn your web pages into the search engines’ favorites”. That is advertising, and we have no means of testing it, so we treat it as the vendor’s claim.
phpWordPress was a commercial PHP article manager from Spoonlabs, renamed Vivvo in July 2006. It was unrelated to the open-source WordPress project. The release history lists the other versions.
What did the release announce?
The press release named five things.
- Desktop-like administration. AJAX let page elements update without reloading the whole page, which the company said would save time.
- Language packs. Spoonlabs said it offered 11 for 3.2, including Arabic, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish, and that no other PHP article manager matched that choice. We cannot check the comparison.
- Membership-based access. Control over which sections were open to the public and which to registered members only.
- Tabbed article management. Adding and editing an article, its search options and its display options, such as comments and ratings, in a few clicks.
- Enhanced search and a new plug-in manager. Greater control over search criteria, and easier integration of third-party scripts.
The archived What’s New page adds in-place editing for Preferences, so changes apply without a submit and reload, and a ContactBuilder plug-in with a wizard for building a contact page. It says 3.2 contained work from “the last two months”.
What did it mean for publishers in 2006?
For a news or article site, the headline items were membership access and the plug-in manager. Membership access made a partly private site possible, which suits a publisher who wants some content for subscribers or contributors. The plug-in manager made third-party additions less of a hack.
The release also shows the usual gap between press and practice. The announcement says “fully automated” SEO, while the changelog records specific items, among them SEO fields on articles and a Google XML sitemap. Those are real but narrower. Read the changelog behind any headline.
What went wrong with upgrades?
Within nine days of the release, staff posted that a frequent problem had come up. The upgrade pack on the site referred only to upgrading from 3.1 to 3.2, as the readme stated. A customer replied on 13 June asking where to find the 3.1 upgrade, having used 3.0. The archive shows no answer to that question.
The lesson holds for any CMS: a major upgrade path may require intermediate steps, and you should know which before you start. Take a backup and test on a copy of the site.
How are these needs met today?
All five items remain on a publisher’s checklist. Interface languages and content translation are standard questions. Restricted-access content appears as membership or paywall features, often through plugins. Plug-in systems are the default, which is why plugin quality matters more than the plugin count. Admin interfaces update without reloads as a matter of course.
The guides cover how this site assesses each. The News board lists the announcements around 3.2, and the 3.25 patch followed a month later.
Questions people ask
When was phpWordPress 3.2 released?
8 May 2006, according to the forum post and the press release carried on the news page. A 3.25 patch followed on 7 June 2006, and the product was renamed Vivvo in July.
Did phpWordPress 3.2 really automate SEO?
That was the press release's claim, and we have no way to test it. The changelog records concrete items such as SEO fields, a Google XML sitemap and W3C-validated templates, which are narrower than the headline.
Could I upgrade straight from 3.0 to 3.2?
Not with the upgrade pack alone. Staff said it covered only 3.1 to 3.2, and a customer on 3.0 asked where to find the 3.1 upgrade. The thread does not record a reply.
Sources
- On 8 May 2006 Spoonlabs released phpWordPress version 3.2, announced in a press release that claimed major enhancements to the user experience and fully automated search engine optimisation. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The release said 3.2 brought a more desktop-like experience to article administration, using AJAX to update page elements without reloading the entire page. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The release said Spoonlabs offered 11 language packs for 3.2, including Arabic, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The release listed membership-based access, tabbed article management, an enhanced search function and a new plug-in manager among the new and enhanced features. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The What's New page says 3.2 contained features and enhancements developed in the last two months, and lists in-place editing for Preferences and a ContactBuilder plug-in wizard for contact pages. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- On 17 May 2006 staff said the downloadable upgrade pack referred only to upgrading from 3.1 to 3.2, as stated in the readme, after a frequent upgrade problem. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- On 13 June 2006 a customer using 3.0 asked in the upgrade thread where to find the 3.1 upgrade. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The news page carried the 3.2 press release dated 8 May 2006 with the dateline Ann Arbor, MI (PRWEB) and the source given as PRWeb. — source, checked 10 October 2026.