The free DotNetNuke blog module is getting some much needed enhancements in its next major release. Let's take a look at some of the most important changes to the module.

First, it should be noted that DotNetNuke Blog module 5.0 requires the site to be running DotNetNuke 6.2. And currently version 5.0 is only in release candidate stage and shouldn't be installed in production environments without careful testing. With that out of the way, let's look at the new features:

• Taxonomy integration: The blog module now integrates with DNN core taxonomy. The tagging setup also gets an overhaul.
• UI improvements: The updated blog module will match the rest of the DotNetNuke version 6 UI improvements. The module is also simplified in terms of the amount of modules it adds to a page when first installed making it much easier for blog administrators and authors to use.
• Social sharing: The blog module gets an updated social sharing tool.
• Better permissions: The update includes new permissions roles for added flexibility for blog authorship.
• Paging enhancements: Maybe the biggest improvement is the addition of more pagination options. This includes better filtering and result pages beyond the first x results.

You can find out more about these changes to the blog module here and here.