It’s Episode 472 with plugins for Temporary Access, Replacing Media, Integrating Stats, Your Customer Testimonials and ClassicPress Options. It’s all coming up on WordPress Plugins A-Z!
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Enable Media Replace, Site Kit by Google, Temporary Login Without Password, App Reviews LITE, Social Testimonials and Reviews by Repuso, Testimonial – Customer Feedback, Client Testimonial, Review and ClassicPress options in Episode 472.
With great appreciation for the No Agenda Show for their inspiration of ideas and the occasional stolen sound clip.
This is a value for value show and I look forward to everyone providing some value back.
Start by Subscribing to the newsletter for additional information and get out there and rope them all in, Spread the word about WP Plugins A to Z and catch it live every Thursday at noon PDT on my YouTube Channel.
Producer Credits:
Show Art:
Daniele Pais — https://danielepais.com/
All the show notes can be found at: WPPluginsAtoZ.com
Johns Rant:
This is #31 of 52 episodes for 2020. Its Episode 472 and intergration of everything seems to be just on the horizion, the world is still in turmoil and now is the time to find yourself an Oasis like the one at The Rogues Tavern and relax. We are now 31 weeks into 2020 and 20 weeks of the Rona, the doom and gloom seems to be never ending, the new programming is near complete, but have no fear WP Plugins A to Z is here to lift your soul. The new naritive is about to roll out and the opportunities have never been better in the world as they are right now so get into action and start grabbing them while you can.
Things you can do to help your soul:
Minimize your news exposure,
Work on your own little part of the world to make it a better place to be.
Inspire others around you to do the same.
Don’t worry about things you cannot control.
Stop accepting and doing things that may not be your best interest.
Work in your best interest while at the same time respecting and helping others, the rewards will follow.
We have some news from the world of WordPress for you today as well as some great plugins.
Let’s get to the fun we have today.
WordPress News and Info
Before we jump into the news, ……
Due to life and with a lot on my plate, the show will be skipping August 20th. We are taking a week off for some personal time. If any of you producers would like to submit a short prerecorded review or even do a best of, I would be happy to have it play while we are away..
News this week:
WordPress plugin vulnerability exposes 80,000 sites to remote takeover
https://portswigger.net/daily-swig/wordpress-plugin-vulnerability-exposes-80-000-sites-to-remote-takeover
WordCamp US 2020 Canceled Due to Pandemic Stress and Online Event Fatigue
https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-us-2020-canceled-due-to-pandemic-stress-and-online-event-fatigue
Automattic Updates Press Page to Clarify Distinction between WordPress.org and WordPress.com
https://wptavern.com/automattic-updates-press-page-to-clarify-distinction-between-wordpress-org-and-wordpress-com
WordPress 5.5 Release Candidate 2
https://wordpress.org/news/2020/08/wordpress-5-5-release-candidate-2
https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/30/wordpress-5-5-field-guide/
Google Core Web Vitals for WordPress: What You Need to Know
https://wplift.com/google-core-web-vitals-wordpress
Trivia:
The hall of shame via Automattic:
transparency.automattic.com/tag/hall-of-shame/
Matt’s Famous Quotes
https://www.idrlabs.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg.php
Donor – Support
Show Producers
This Show will not work without you, the producers, as it is a Value for Value model, meaning if your’e getting any value out of it then give some value back and help the show out.
I’d like to acknowledge all the producers who have supported the show in the various ways over the last week.
This weeks show Art Work comes from:
Daniele Pais — https://danielepais.com/
This week’s Executive Producer/’s are:
A big thank you to all the Producers who came in under $50 and to those who have set up weekly subscriptions they will remain anonymous and I thank you very much.
All these small subscriptions really help the show out.
A big thank you to those who have hired me because of the Podcast, thank you that is as good as donating to the show.
You can Support the Show by:
Donating money to help the show Donations of $50 and over are credited with an Executive Producer Credit in the Show Notes, and their note is read out on the show.
Submitting art work at the WP Plugins Art generator,
Submit articles news and information
Submit plugin suggestions for reviews
You can also create a monthly donation at Patreon
Or something I may not have thought of.
ClassicPress Options
ClassicPress is a fast growing fork of WordPress that is starting to come into its own. ClassicPress is focused on Business Websites, runs fast and is looking pretty good. There are a few plugins specifically for ClassicPress and all plugins for WordPress 4.9.9 work well on it. I do believe it has a future.
One thing I am looking forward to in the ClassicPress World is the expansion of the number of ClassicPress specific plugins and their own repository. Currently there are not a lot of ClassicPress specific plugins but I do know it is going to grow and I’ll have to expand this segment then. Who knows, it could take over the whole show.
This week for ClassicPress I have:
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Just a note for my ClassicPress listeners please send me info to help keep the ClassicPress section full.
Random Links to ClassicPress supporters
ClassicPress Resources:
For some up to date news on ClassicPress check out the ClassisPress Club news.
https://classicpress.club/
An alternate forum for the non-techies.
“Must Have” Plugins List
https://forums.classicpress.net/t/must-have-plugins-list/1163
To find a listing of ClassicPress specific plugins check out this link https://forums.classicpress.net/t/plugins-built-specifically-for-classicpress/1011?u=codepotent there is currently 37 42 49 50 52 55 57 plugins here and growing. I look forward to the day they have their own repository. I can still recall WP when it had a small repository.
CodePotent’s plugin directory
https://codepotent.com/classicpress/plugins/
WordPress plugins
Are you looking for some great newly released plugins check this link
https://wordpress.org/plugins/browse/new/
John’s plugin
Enable Media Replace
https://wordpress.org/plugins/enable-media-replace/
The lowdown:
This looks to be a better version of a plugin I have used from time to time when working on well established sites which required some updated content. This plugin allows you to upload a new image, pdf or other file without the hassle of manually changing links or replacing the file in a post.
It gives you 2 ways to accomplish this task, you can simply replace a file and the name stays the same or give it a new file name keeping the old version and all links are auto updated.
This is a useful tool you will want in your arsenal of tools.
Rating 5 Dragons
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Amber’s Plugin
Hello John & Amber
I am a new WordPress developer and have had the opportunity to listen to one of your recent podcast “Going to the Dogs”. A great show between the 2 of you and what I did like was that you are reviewing plugins as good and crap which makes it like an independent review authority on the plugins.
Along with being a recent WordPress developer I am also an Android developer with an app on the Google Play Store.
I would appreciate if you know and can suggest a plugin that can get the review ratings and review comments for a given app from the Google Play store to display on the WordPress website. It is like testimonials for the app.
And I also going to request for a carousel plugin to display the above information since the above info is text based and not an image.
Regards,
Vineet
Upon request via one of our listeners, Vineet (hope I pronounced the name right), I searched for and found a few plugins that will either grab up reviews made on apps and stick them into your site, or present them in a carousal on your website for you; or, one to do it all.
Since I came accross sooooooooo many different plugins with this general idea, I am going to have a general theme today on the plugins I go over. I am also going to make a point to leave links to the other ones I found during my travels this last week, though I haven’t checked those ones out. Maybe go though it yourself, let me know what YOU think, and whether or not it’s worth my time to check it out myself. If it is, I will check it out and give my own review, as well as sharing your review if you like.
Without further ado, here are the 3 best I found.
App Reviews LITE
https://wordpress.org/plugins/app-reviews-lite/#installation –
The lowdown:
So, this first one, I had initially thought it was for Androids, but it turned out once I plugged it in and everything, that it is only for apple users. That was a little irritating… Turns out, when you put in ‘app review’, whether you have Android or Google first or not, you get mainly Apple stuff right away. Interesting, no?
This one is a free version. You install it, and it does it all! It grabs the reviews, sticks them into your site in a carousal that shows up on your site for you. Only problem, it does it however it’s designed to, with no ability to make changes to the way it looks or anything.
There ARE options you can pay for, 3 different versions even! Personal at 9.99, business at 19.99, and agency at 29.99.
The free version just takes a short code that you get from the app download option – This is where you go to the directions and follow those, because my trying to explain it just turns to garble-de-gook.
The paid version has more options… but it seems to be more about putting it on more sites, and you get to have as many different apps as you want… I didn’t realize there was a limit on the free version, but apparently there is. I only really tested it with one; I honestly didn’t even think to try adding a second.
I suppose as an application developer by trade, you will have more than one app to present… So that may be an issue unless you’re willing to pay. I would say try it out with one app, see if it works for you, and than go with the paid version if it turns out to be everything you need and want.
I’m not certain, but I believe that all the negative comments will get floated onto your site along with the positive – that could be bad if you accidentally piss off a troll or two.
Anyhow, simple, easy, but you have no real control. No settings page or anything. You just get to plug it in and let it go, kinda like a rat race.
I mean, this will get the job done so long as you are using Apple, and it works for what you need, but offers no real control over it.
I rate this kinda low due to both the need to pay for the useful parts, and also due to the lack of control you have, at 3 dragons.
Rating 3 Dragons
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John’s plugin
Site Kit by Google
https://wordpress.org/plugins/google-site-kit/
The Lowdown:
This is the official plugin from Google to integrate your Google Analytics and other Google tools into your sites dashboard. It doers the following for you.
Description
Site Kit is the official WordPress plugin from Google for insights about how people find and use your site. Site Kit is the one-stop solution to deploy, manage, and get insights from critical Google tools to make the site successful on the web. It provides authoritative, up-to-date insights from multiple Google products directly on the WordPress dashboard for easy access, all for free.
Bringing the best of Google tools to WordPress
Site Kit includes powerful features that make using these Google products seamless and flexible:
- Easy-to-understand stats directly on your WordPress dashboard
- Official stats from multiple Google tools, all in one dashboard
- Quick setup for multiple Google tools without having to edit the source code of your site
- Metrics for your entire site and for individual posts
- Easy-to-manage, granular permissions across WordPress and different Google products
Supported Google tools
Site Kit shows key metrics and insights from different Google products:
- Search Console: Understand how Google Search discovers and displays your pages in Google Search. Track how many people saw your site in search results, and what query they used to search for your site.
- Analytics: Explore how users navigate your site and track goals you’ve set up for your users to complete.
- AdSense: Keep track of how much your site is earning you.
- PageSpeed Insights: See how your pages perform compared to other real-world sites. Improve performance with actionable tips from PageSpeed Insights.
- Tag Manager: Use Site Kit to easily set up Tag Manager- no code editing required. Then, manage your tags in Tag Manager.
- Optimize: Use Site Kit to easily set up Optimize- no code editing required. Then, set up A/B tests in Optimize.
Rating 4 Dragons
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Amber’s Plugin
Social Testimonials and Reviews by repuso
https://wordpress.org/plugins/social-testimonials-and-reviews-widget/ –
The Lowdown:
This one is definitely a better option in my opinion, as it is more versatile and you get a lot more control.
This plugin grabs from 23 different platforms, including fb, Twitter, Google Plus (which doesn’t exist anymore), Apple AppStore, Google Play Store… You get a lot more out of this than anything else I managed to find.
This also allows you to place the reviews that are collected into a pre-fabbed form on your website; you get to choose from 6 different forms; floating, grid, inline slider, photo slider, badge or flash. All widget’s up for grabs!
You also get to select your favorite reviews, and you actually get a settings page to set everything up to your preference.
Very straightforward, Great options, and I very much appreciate the amount of control it offers.
Unfortunately – all good things come with a price, right?
You get a Free Trial with this. Then, you need to choose from one of their price plans.
Luckily though, these guys aren’t ridiculous with their prices.
For a ‘starter’, you get 1 business, unlimited reviews, 1 integration, essentially everything a newer to the game developer needs to get off the ground; for the price of $9/mth, or $6/mth if billed annually.
Next step up is ‘professional’, which offers only one business again, but unlimited everything, with 3 integrations. This is only $19/mth, or $12/mth if billed annually.
Highest step is ‘agency’, which has corporation level needs met, and is $49/mth, or $39/mth if billed annually.
So yea, sucks that you have to agree to pay, but, at least the prices aren’t over the top.
I personally think they could do well with making a completely free version, but they didn’t, so I rate this at
4 dragons.
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John’s plugin
Temporary Login Without Password
https://wordpress.org/plugins/temporary-login-without-password/
The Lowdown:
When you have need, as most developers have, to allow a short time access to a site under development or site owners to all a short term access to fix a problem, this is a plugin for you.
Using this plugin you can create an auto-expiring account for someone and give them a unique link that they can use to login to your WordPress site without needing a username and password.
You can choose when the login expires, as well as the role of the temporary account.
Really useful when you need to give admin access to a developer for support or for performing routine tasks.
A great little tool
Rating 5 dragons
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Amber’s Plugin
Testimonial – Customer Feedback, Client Testimonial, Review
https://wordpress.org/plugins/testimonial-maker/ –
The Lowdown:
Well, the title of this one is a mouthful eh?
So, for this one, it’s not so much about grabbing the reviews off sites, as it is about putting the testimonials that client’s have made for your work on your for them onto your site.
I have found these kind of testimonials to be helpful at times when I am looking at sites – it’s kind of like having your portfolio up on your site for people to browse through as they wish.
This plugin offers the ability to place the testimonials into a sidebar, as a widget, or in a page or post via shortcode.
It has a lot of options you can choose from, and you have complete control over what testimonials go into this.
Now from what I saw when I plugged this in, you have to enter in all the testimonials yourself, so a lot of copy and pasting here.
You also get offered a lot of different ‘featured plugins’ within this… It’s kind of like a giant ad… I suppose these are plugins that work well with this one?
I do like the options it has for setting up the way it looks, and it seems like this would be a good option in general. It looks alright in general, though I personally needed the directions page a lot, it was very useful.
I think the biggest issue with this one is the amount of manual labour that goes into it – but really, that’s not too big an issue.
I would rate this higher if it wasn’t for the bit of confusion I had in trying to set it up at first.
I rate this at 4 dragons.
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Additional plugins that do one or the other that I found:
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/google-site-kit/ – Official Google plugin designed to keep tabs on the operations of your site – lets you know how your site is running and how you could make it better.
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/androapp/ – This is more about Androids and keeping an eye on things I think. Worth looking into.
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-google-places-review-slider/ – This now needs you to have a physical location for your business in order to work, unless you buy the pro version.
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/excited-testimonials-showcase/ – This one seems to be more about making the testimonials beautiful than anything, though it does talk about being able to use FB, Twitter, Pintrest, Google+ (which doesn’t exist anymore), and a few others.
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/feedwordpress/ – Seems to be about placing feeds into your post’s. Let me know what you think.
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This show is brought to you by:
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Finding quality WordPress Hosting and support can be a challenge, well you can drop that stress by contacting JohnOverall.com web services. I can help you eliminate your WordPress stress. Solving your WordPress Emergency issues or doing the more day to day items such as finding that perfect plugin, helping you move to a new hosting provider or even providing Quality WordPress hosting.
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Enter The Contest to Win!!:
Contests Powered by Simple Giveaways who kindly provides us with the premium version for our contests.
We are giving away a subscription for ShoutWorks, listen to the interview with Christian Petroske to learn more about ShoutWorks and the plugin.
Enter for your chance to win a Free-For-Life Shoutworks Standard Account.
Shoutworks is the one-click way to engage and grow your audience by getting your WordPress site talking on over 200 million Amazon Alexa voice devices and 4+ billion Alexa-ready devices worldwide. The user-friendly Shoutworks WordPress plugin allows anyone to create a voice app, or “skill”, for Alexa from their WordPress site in less than 5 minutes.
Visit http://WPPluginsAtoZ.com/contests for more info.
After you enter the contest remember to share on social media and you get more chances to win.
For all developers who would like to support the show. You can donate a premium license to be used in a future contest please go to WPPluginsAtoZ.com/PluginContest
Closing out this Episode the Plugins We covered were:
John’s Plugins: Enable Media Replace – 5, Site Kit by Google – 4, Temporary Login Without Password – 5
Amber’s Plugins: App Reviews LITE – 3, Social Testimonials and Reviews by repuso – 4, Testimonial – Customer Feedback, Client Testimonial, Review – 4
Trivia:
Matt’s Famous Quotes
https://www.idrlabs.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg.php
Reminders / Commercial / Promotions:
Remember to make Amber feel welcome by sending some good feels back.
Well it looks like the meetup in August will not happen as too much is on my plate at the moment keep tabs on this at https://wppluginsatoz.com/meetup .
There is a new Interview is out with Christian from Shoutworks.com
Would you like to be on an interview show? Simply connect at https://wppluginsatoz.com/interview
Follow my Journey at TheRoguesTavern.com check out my adventures into the wild searching for gold, hiking, camping, out on the gun range and more.
If you have suggestions on plugins you would like to have reviewed please submit them on the website at https://wppluginsatoz.com/submit-plugin-review/
For all developers who would like to support the show. You can donate a premium license to be used in a future contest, please go to WPPluginsAtoZ.com/PluginContest
Be sure and subscribe to our Newsletter.
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