Don’t Get Stung by Bad WordPress Plugins
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Don't Get Stung by Bad WordPress Plugins
John's Intro:
It's Episode 612 and we have plugins for Bottoming Out & Geolocation… and WordPress News. It's all coming up on WordPress Plugins A-Z!
– ‘good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you happen to be hiding out there on the globe today! Coming to you LIVE from …'
Amber's Rant:
Welcome to Episode 612 – Don't Get Stung by Bad WordPress Plugins – We've got a couple of great in-depth plugins to cover for you, some recent news in both the WordPress World and the Tech World in general, and some awesome WordPress Tips!
AAhhhh, October – funny thing, fall smells the same round the world in my experience. Smell's the same in Canada as it does in New Zealand, and in the USA, and in England – something about fall, it's just the same all over. Smell of the trees dropping leaves, candles, wood smoke – love this time of the year. Be sure to keep warm everyone, it takes a bit for your body to adjust to the cold coming on.
Some reminders before we start the show today….
Reminders:
- Remember that the show starts at 12:30 PM Pacific Time, with a pre-stream starting around 12:15 PM Pacific Time. Pre-stream is where we twiddle with the dials and knobs and really just warm up our voices, so join in for some entertainment value!
- Our show notes for each episode can be found at wppluginsatoz.com – the newest show notes will be up within 24 hours and on our front page!
- Don't forget that this is a value for value show, and that you are a big part of it's creation! You are our producers, and we need you to help us produce! Get out there and hit some like buttons, share an episode or two, and let people know that you help to produce the longest running WordPress Plugins podcast!
That's it for reminders, don't forget to stick around until the end of the show for some possibly life altering advice!
...When you see this in the notes, it means we didn't read this on the show. The only way to find this information out is to read our Show Notes!
…You can send any questions/suggestions or notes saying ‘hi' over to me at amber@wppro.ca, or hit up our site wpppluginsatoz.com/contact – Be creative with the title so that the spammer eater doesn't eat your note though!
Let's start the show with this weeks Featured Artist:
Artist:
Greg's Graphics (Greg Holdsworth) — https://gregsgraphics.com
Going through the Art Vaults is awesome, but we would love some new art! You can send it into us at https://wppluginsatoz.com/artwork/. You can also check out the art vaults yourself there too!
…We can NEVER have too much art!
Breaking News in the WordPress World at large!!
…If I missed something, shoot me a link at amber@wppro.ca – it may show up on the next show!
News this week:
WordPress Vulnerability Report from PatchStack
(https://patchstack.com/database/) – This link does not change week by week, it's always just this same link so you can copy and paste this and stick it somewhere handy on your computer for yourself to go and check it out when you need to. There are some vulnerabilities that have cropped up over the past week listed out, be sure to check this list out!
WordPress 6.4 Beta 1 Released
(https://wptavern.com/wordpress-6-4-beta-1-released) – This beta release happened on September 26, and was on schedule! For those who are into testing out the Beta versions, you will find Font Management, Block Hooks, lightbox for Images, Expanded Design Tools, Command Palette updates, List view enhancements, and a New Twenty Twenty-Four default theme to test out. Have fun!
Gutenberg 16.7 introduces font management
(https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-16-7-introduces-font-management) – Released last week, this will be the last plugin release that will be rolled into the next version of WordPress. There are a lot of features that are headlining the upcoming WordPress 6.4 release for you to try and test out. If you want to learn a bit more about it, before trying it out for yourself, you can check out our show notes for the link.
WordPress.org expands two-factor authentication interface to include security keys (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-org-expands-two-factor-authentication-interface-to-include-security-keys) – WordPress.org began testing two-factor authentication (2FA) as an opt-in feature in May 2023. The interface and functionality are still in beta…. but it appears to be properly operational. A logged in user can set up the keys by visiting their WordPress.org profile, scrolling down to the ‘security' section, and clicking on the support forum profile link. To learn more and get the full walk through, you can check out our show notes for the link!
WordPress.com Plugin pages add download link for using plugins on self-hosted sites (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-com-plugin-pages-add-download-link-for-using-plugins-on-self-hosted-sites) – WordPress.com plugin pages have been updated to include a download link for the WordPress.org plugins listed in the .com directory. These listings were scraped from .org and are available for free on .org for self-hosted sites, but can only be used on .com with a paid subscription. There is an explanation on the difference between .org and .com in the sidebar, and it appears to both logged-in and logged-out users. Themes hosted on .com have a similar notice with a link to download the them and use it on a self-hosted site. This notice was added in response to developers raising concerns about .com plugin listings outranking .org on Google Search in some instances. During that discussion, many developers were surprised to learn that their plugins created for .org were also listed on .com, and only available as a paid subscription. Patchstack has updated its readme file to ensure that .com users and visitors are made aware that the plugin is available for free in the official WordPress plugin repository. It has been noted by some that they would prefer a link to the actual plugin page where they can see and participate in reviews, and it has been suggested that the omission of a link back to .org may be intentional as it would take users off the .com site, which does not facilitate customers upgrading to paid plans in order to use plugins. If you want to dive deeper into this you can check out our show notes for the link.
Matthaus Klute acquires Social Link Pages Plugins
(https://wptavern.com/matthaus-klute-acquires-social-link-pages-plugin) – WordPress developer Corey Maass has sold his Social Link Pages plugin to Matthaus Klute, an independent WordPress consultant and developer with Alpha Particle. For those who currently use this plugin, there are going to be changes – though it seems they are going to be all positive changes. The plugin was bought and sold based on the understanding of the code creating the plugin, and with the understanding that anything added to it will do nothing but add to the plugins usefulness.
How to use Microsoft's “Windows File Recovery” on Windows 10 and Windows 11 (https://www.howtogeek.com/680458/how-to-use-microsofts-windows-file-recovery-on-windows-10/) – This is a great article sent in by a listener! Looking through it it takes you for a walk through both on what exactly the “Windows File Recovery” is, and exactly when and how to use it. Great article, and something that is worth bookmarking if this isn't your specialty – because eventually we all accidentally delete something and might need a nudge to pull us out of our instant cold, heart stopping panic that hits us like ice water when we realize we have just deleted something very important.
The Extras – check out our Facebook, or Twitter page for even more!
WordPress plugin review team onboards new members, releases plugin to flag common errors (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-plugin-review-team-onboards-new-members-releases-plugin-to-flag-common-errors)
Ollie Theme faces pushback from WordPress Them Review Team (https://wptavern.com/ollie-theme-faces-pushback-from-wordpress-theme-review-team)
WP Tavern launches forums (https://wptavern.com/wp-tavern-launches-forums)
WordPress opens 2023 annual survey (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-opens-2023-annual-survey)
Block visibility 3.1.0 adds WooCommerce and easy digital downloads controls (https://wptavern.com/block-visibility-3-1-0-adds-woocommerce-and-easy-digital-downloads-controls)
WordPress accessibility day 2023 announces diverse speaker lineup, doubles sponsors from previous year (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-accessibility-day-2023-announces-diverse-speaker-lineup-doubles-sponsors-from-previous-year)
Openvers wins 2023 open education award, seeks community feedback for 2023 roadmap (https://wptavern.com/openverse-wins-2023-open-education-award-seeks-community-feedback-for-2024-roadmap)
Community team invites organizers to apply for hosting next generation WordPress Events (https://wptavern.com/community-team-invites-organizers-to-apply-for-hosting-next-generation-wordpress-events)
New plugin adds citations and bibliography block to WordPress editor
(https://wptavern.com/new-plugin-adds-citations-and-bibliography-block-to-wordpress-editor)
UK quietly dismisses independent AI advisory board, alarming tech sector (https://thenextweb.com/news/uk-dismisses-independent-ai-advisory-board-alarming-tech-sector)
Dragon Rating Time!
John's Plugin
If-So Geolocation
https://wordpress.org/plugins/if-so-geolocation/
The Lowdown:
Create location-based content in minutes. No coding required. Works with any page builder. No need to sync an IP-to-location database.
This plugin enhances the Geolocation capabilities of the core If-So Dynamic Content plugin:
- HTML5 Geolocation API (browser location) – Can be used in addition to or instead of the IP-to-location service.
- Location override – Allow users to manually select their location and override the default IP-based location detection.
- Display the user’s country flag (image or emoji).
- Log geolocation requests and analyze the log to find and exclude bot traffic.
WHY IF-SO?
- Simple to use – No coding is required
- No need to sync with an IP-to-location database
- Show dynamic content based on City, State, Country, Continent, or Time zone
- Works with any page builder
- 100% compatible with all caching plugins (no need to disable the cache)
- A simple way to improve engagement and conversion rates
- Conditional Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Widgets
- Create location-based pop-ups
- Built-in stats system
Rating 5 Dragons
WordPress Tips
We would love to hear some tid bit tips from some of our producers out there – what did you figure out by breaking something? Or what did you need to learn in order to help someone? You can send these tid bits into me at amber@wppro.ca
Making Sites
When you're building a site for another person, and you feel like you have finished the job – but the client comes back to you with a list of these tiny little changes – don't get frustrated. These tiny little changes are so insignificant to you – but to them? These tiny little changes are HUGE! These little changes make the difference for them on whether the site is great or horrible.
You may be the one building the site, but for them, this is their baby. This is something that they are pouring themselves into, it's a representation of who they or their company are, and it is a direct reflection of them – so having the wrong font, or the wrong header bolded – these are tiny things to you, but makes a world of difference for them.
If you think I am overstating this, you try putting a project that is a representation of who you or your company is into someone else's hands, allow someone else to have absolute control of this, only able to give verbal instructions, never touching the project with your own hands but trying to get the reflection just right.
Your clients are placing so much trust in you, allowing you to have absolute control over how the world is going to see them or their company. Don't get frustrated as they try to guide your hands to make the perfect reflection of themselves. See it for what it is – absolute trust in you. Don't throw that back in their faces by making them feel that they are irritating or making a big deal out of nothing.
Beginners Tips
If you are new to working with clients, don't be afraid to ask them for clarification on things. If you don't know the right words to get them to understand where your confusion is, take pictures. TechSmith is a great program, and there are other things you can use too – even screen shots are great. Highlight the area your confused about and ask your questions – if you have an idea but are not sure, do a mock up and ask if that looks right. If you don't know how to do that on the computer, grab a piece of paper! Even a hand drawn mock up is better then fumbling with words and not being able to get your confusion fixed – pictures are a fantastic tool. Don't be afraid to use them.
Don't over-dumb things down. Use normal human speech as much as possible, but where there is no other option than geek speak, go ahead and use it – your client may surprise you and know exactly what you are talking about. However – just in case they don't know what you're talking about, be sure to add into your email something along the lines of ‘please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions'. Make sure they know that you don't mind being asked for clarification, make yourself easy to approach. It will really help down the line with communication.
…Some random entertainment in the World of WordPress!
…Matt's Famous Quotes
https://www.idrlabs.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg.php
…The hall of shame via Automattic:
transparency.automattic.com/tag/hall-of-shame/
Amber's Plugin
Keep new admin menu items in bottom
https://wordpress.org/plugins/keep-new-admin-menu-items-in-bottom/
The Lowdown:
This is a pretty useful plugin that is new and fresh outta the box.
Ever find it a little irritating looking for the dashboard of any new plugin you have just installed? They sort of seem to have a habit of just inserting themselves into wherever in your left hand dashboard. Very frustrating at times.
This plugin solves that issue! What it does is it brings all those plugin dashboards down to the bottom of the left-hand menu.
Once you install and activate it, you will see all of those plugins you have already installed show up on the bottom of the menu as well.
Each new plugin you add will show up in the bottom area beneath ‘Settings'. I added a few more plugins to see if there is a real pattern there, though it seems to be as random as it is without this plugins, they are just all beneath the ‘Settings' now so you don't have to search the entire left-hand menu.
I personally find this very useful and I think I will be adding it to my list of preferred plugins to start a site with. Don't underestimate the power of organization!
This plugin is new, seems to play well with others, and does exactly what it says it will. I did not see any kind of issue with slowing down of the site or anything along those lines, I highly recommend at least trying it out to see if you like the organization style.
Rating: 5 Dragon
Onto Our Producer Know How and Donations Segment!
Earn yourself a Producership Credit!
We have 3 levels of Producers that help to keep the show's larders stocked to bursting – Free-Lance Producers, Back-Room Producers, and War-Room Producers. There are special perks for Back-Room and War-Room Producers that you can learn about on our site wppluginsatoz.com. Click on Time, Treasure, or Talent Donations in our main menu to learn all the nitty gritty details on how you can add your 2 cents!
Free-Lance Producers:
… Free-Lance Producers always show up when least expected, and often times when most needed! No donation required to become a Free-Lance Producer – you just are one if you're here!
… If you have listened to even 10 minutes of this show, or shown up a single time to one of our live shows on YouTube, you are one of our many Free-Lance Producers! Although you guys are always popping in and out at unexpected times, we appreciate your support and periodic help with one thing or another – thank you!
Back Room Producers:
… Back Room Producers always seem to be about the place helping with our contests, artwork, site organization, notes, questions, suggestions, and even more! While they tend to hang out a lot in the back lounge and consume massive amounts of coffee and doughnuts, it's well earned through both hard work and their donations – never above $50 dollars and absolutely equal to their Time and Talent donations!
… Back Room Producers, if you ever notice something that needs some work feel free to reach out to us and let us know – you can offer to take it up yourself, or just let us know and we will add it to our list. We always appreciate your help in organizing and changing of the coffee – thank you!
War Room Producers:
… War Room Producers receive a few extra perks with their donations of $50 or more – an official A to Z Handle of their choice, a spotlight in that weeks show for a short speech, and an official Executive Producership Credit! These credits are real and can be used in the real world to your advantage! Only draw back is that they sometimes gotta make fresh coffee when the Back Room Producers emptied the pot…
**If you prefer to stay anonymous, please let us know at the beginning of your note to us regarding your donation! We are more than happy to keep you anonymous from the world – nobody is ever forced out of the tender embrace of the shadows on this show!**
… Official A to Z Handle means you will receive a specialized login to our site. We are working to update our site where we will have a Members Only section, and you will have access to a variety of things through your personalized handle for our site! To receive your Official A to Z Handle, think up an original name, and send it in to us along with the show number and the show name.
… Your spotlight can be an elevator pitch for your business, a note, or you can just skip it – just be sure to let us know your choice and we will adhere appropriately.
… The Producership Credit we offer is REAL! When you send your donation in to us of $50 or more, please be sure to note down the number and title of the show your donation appeared on, and we will back up your right to claim Producership!
… You don't ACTUALLY have to make the Back Room Producers coffee, but you might want to make yourself a fresh one. 😉 Especially if you are planning on pointing out things going wrong on the site… we got a long list and will likely try and convince you to help us out a little!
… War Room Producers, same as for the Back Room Producers, reach out to us if you notice something that needs work! Whether you are wanting to take up the job yourself or just inform us and leave it, we will add it to our ever-growing list!
Join in and be part of your own production and support the show at the same time!
There are loads of ways to use us as your tool to get on out there like getting an interview, leaving a review for a plugin or donating your own plugin review, or your own plugin license! I recommend you give it a go and see how it helps – you can check out our show notes in this section to see all the ways to be part of your own production!
…Reach out to John and get yourself Interviewed – use us as your tool to get out there!
… Looking for a way to get your name and work out there? Use us as a stepping stone! Hit us up at https://wppluginsatoz.com/interview
…Send in your Plugin Reviews, or suggestions for a Plugin reviews!
… Have a plugin you love? Or one you really think people should avoid? Reach out to us and get your words and opinion out into the world by hitting us up at https://wppluginsatoz.com/submit-plugin-review/
…Send in your own Plugin License and add it to the contest – this is a great way to get your name and your work out there!
… Is your plugin worth its salt in Dragons? If so, send it on into us and add it to the contests! You can do this by hitting us up at https://wppluginsatoz.com/plugincontest/
…Send in questions and/or comments – we always love hearing from our Producers!
… Have a thought to share? Send it in! You can stay anonymous or belt your name out in all caps! Stitcher Radio, Google Play, or the iTunes Store. Doing this will also help you in producing the show for your own benefit too!
…You can support the show by Subscribing to our Newsletter, Donating, or reviewing us on Stitcher Radio, Google Play, or the iTunes Store. Doing this will also help you in producing the show for your own benefit too!
…You can check us out on Facebook, or our YouTube Channel! Be sure to hit the ‘like' button and share share share!
… YouTube Channel and joining us live every Monday at 12:15 PM PDT is a FANTASTIC show of support – and since you're already on the net's, might as well check out the Facebook page and hit that ‘like' button and share it out!
… Just showing up to our YouTube Channel and joining us live every Monday at 12:15 PM PDT is a FANTASTIC show of support – and since you're already on the net's, might as well check out the Facebook page and hit that ‘like' button and share it out!
… Don't forget – if you leave a review of us on any platform, that will help the show get noticed too; and if you happen to add your name to the show via questions or that awesome spotlight offered with a War Room Producership, that will get YOUR name out there too!
Questions, Notes, and Feedback from our Producers out there:
… No such thing as a stupid question people! I was new not too long ago, and I know how overwhelming it can be stepping into this world at this stage – I know for a fact that questions you have are the same questions others out there have!
Reach out through email to amber@wppro.ca, or through the site at wppluginsatoz.com/contact/!
Miscellaneous Announcements from us and Producers:
Have an announcement like a meetup, or to announce you'll be on stage at a WordCamp? Let us know and we will add it here and help get your news out to the world!
If you are interested in finding a WordPress Meetup somewhere around the world you can go check out the places here: https://www.meetup.com/pro/wordpress/
If you are in Victoria BC, you can keep an eye on the WordPress Meetup's at WordPress Victoria Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/yyjwordpress/
There are 5 notable WordCamps planned for this month around the world:
WordCamp Masaka 2023 – October 6-7
WordCamp Biarritz, France – October 6
Community Building Workshop Japan – October 6
WordCamp Bhopal 2023 – October 7-8
WordCamp Taiwan 2023 – October 14
If you are interested in finding out more regarding the other WordCamps going on across the world, you can check out the link for the page here in our show notes, and click on ‘More WordCamps' just at the bottom of the list of 5: https://central.wordcamp.org/
Keep checking back every week to find out what else is going on!
And remember, the show notes found at wppluginsatoz.com has a whole lot of extra information to grab up that we don't read on air so be sure to check them out!
How to reach us:
We have a real brick and mortar address where you can send in art and/or notes – you can find the address in our show notes!
WP Plugins A to Z
C/O John Overall
20-754 E Fairview Rd.
Victoria, BC V9A 5T9
Canada
We also have virtual addresses too!
John:
- My website: http://www.johnoverall.com/
- WordPress Emergency Support: http://wppro.ca/wpemergency
- email: john@wppro.ca
Amber:
- email: amber@wppro.ca
Today's Plugins we covered were:
John’s Plugin:
If-So Geolocation By If So Plugin
- HTML5 Geolocation API (browser location) – Can be used in addition to or instead of the IP-to-location service.
- Display the user’s country flag (image or emoji).
- Log geolocation requests and analyze the log to find and exclude bot traffic.
Rating: 5 Dragons
Amber's Plugin:
Keep new admin menu items in bottom By Plit
- organizes your new plugins to the bottom of the lefthand menu
- organizes the plugins already installed to the bottom beneath the ‘settings' menu item
- allows for easier organization rather than having to play hide and seek with new plugin installs
Rating: 5 Dragons
Q & A Time with Amber – Catch this info on our YouTube Channel
If you have questions you would like to have asked on the show, send them in to me at Amber@WPPro.ca – let's see if we can stump my dad!
- For those new to the scene, can you explain in easily understood terms how to search for a good plugin?
- Specifically, how can you tell which ones are good to try downloading and activating to test it, and which ones to avoid downloading and activating?
- Say you have 3 plugins for sticky social buttons, what makes a good one vs a bad one?
Questions asked after closing credits:
- If you found a plugin that ALMOST does what you want, would it be worth reaching out to the developer and asking them about adding in what you are needing, or would that be presumptive? What would the etiquette be here?
- Say you found a plugin that seemed like a great idea, but you download and activate it, and it crashes your site – do you look first at the plugin or first at your site for that crash – and do you reach out to the developer and ask them about it, or do you try and figure it out yourself? What would the etiquette here be?
