Jetpack update adds Markdown support

Introduction

I’m pumped! Jetpack, the WordPress plugin developed by the fine folks at Automattic, recently published an update that adds Markdown support for non-WordPress.com blogs (among other things). This blog post is being written in Markdown, as a matter of fact! The support hasn’t made its way to the visual editor (yet); currently, the Markdown is parsed via the plugin upon previewing or publishing your article. I’m hoping future versions of the plugin will see the visual editor format text correctly, though I’m sure it’s a lot easier said than done. Other updates to Jetpack include improved Jetpack Monitor notifications and publicize support for custom post types. For a full list of changes, see the official blog post on Jetpack.me. If you’re interested in writing in Markdown, head on over to Daring Fireball to check out the syntax basics. I’m sure you’ll find it’s pretty intuitive.