Google Charts, Script Merging, Alphabetizing, Social Sharing and a review of the new Jetpack
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WordPress Plugins from A to Z Episode
It’s episode #123 and we’ve got plugin for Google Charts, Script Merging, Alphabetizing, Social Sharing and a review of the new Jetpack. All coming up on WordPress Plugins A-Z.
Don’t forget you can get the show notes at:
WordPress Plugins A-Z Podcast Can also be found at WPPluginsAtoZ.com
And head on over and review us at:
WordPress Plugins A-Z Podcast can be found on Stitcher Radio Click here to Download app or listen online Now.
WordPress Plugins A-Z Podcast can be found on the iTunes Store here.
>>>Self Promotion of my businesses here<<<
WordPress has become easier and easier to use over the past 5 years and as we know the easier it is to use the easier it becomes to break. Do you find that you suddenly need some quick WordPress support & need to figure out that one simple task? Correct that simple layout issue or has something broken and you have the white screen of death. Or maybe you have received notification of a hack on your site? Visit me for Emergency WordPress Support at WPPro.ca/Emergency for some quick tips or contact me and I can help you with live support via screen sharing or phone 818-850-7729.
Marcus is now available for phone consultations at http://marcuscouch.com/call. If you need help with WordPress, Podcasting, SEO or general Internet Marketing help, the new Clarity.fm platform is an easy way to schedule and pay for a consulting phone call.
Additionally, because of my long running relationship with Godaddy, I have a new PROMO CODE for Godaddy users out there. If you use Godaddy Code MARCUS249 you can get a .com domain name from Godaddy.com for just $2.49. While this is not something that I would normally promote in the context of the show, the deal is too good not to share with the listeners.
John’s & Marcus Rant: What to rant about?
Join me on the WordPress Medic Podcast find it at http://wpmedic.ca where I will be discussing in depth how to help your ailing WordPress website help you through those tough times and interviews with experts from all over the World.You can find the WordPress medic Podcast at iTunes Store here, Blubrry.com here, and Stitcher Radio and any place else you find me.
**WordPress Plugins Reviewed by John**
Jetpack by WordPress.com 2.2.5
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Version: 2.2.5
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Author: Automattic
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Last Updated: 36 days ago
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Requires WordPress Version: 3.3 or higher
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Compatible up to: 3.5.1
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Downloaded: 5,414,533 times
The lowdown:
well I thought it was time I revisited the jetpack suite again and let you all know what I have found with it. I will review a few of the favorite inerts for Jetpack and the overall usage of the plugin..
Well for starters after install it sucks down 3.2mg ram this is without turning on any other inserts.. next is that pain that you ahve to connect it to your WordPress.com account before you can even turn on anything..
After you authorize it uses 8.2mg ram this is due to it automatically turning on the following plugin and no option to turn them off.
WordPress.com Stats
Publicize
Notifications
Subscriptions
Post by Email
Sharing
Spelling and Grammar
Gravatar Hovercards
Custom CSS
Mobile Theme
Extra Sidebar Widgets
I am not going to cover all the additional plugins that come with jetpack but this is simply an overview.. A couple of interesting ones are Jetpack comments with add social integration to the comments but there are better options out there such as a plugin I will review later.
And tiled galleries which allow you to create unique layouts for your galleries..
All in all there looks to be some useful stuff but also a bunch of stuff you might never use with jetpack.. It does have a contact form and additional spelling and grammar checking.
This looks to be good still if you are doing it yourself and want simple fast ways to inset a bunch of plugins but if you're taking your site to the next level I still cannot recommend jetpack. Since you can get everything in separate plugins and get more control and choice over how they function
Rating 3 Dragons.
Social Login & Social Sharing by Janrain 1.1.1
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Version: 1.1.1
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Author: Janrain
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Last Updated: 27 days ago
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Requires WordPress Version: 3.2.1 or higher
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Compatible up to: 3.4.2
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Downloaded: 117,815 times
The lowdown:
When activated it uses 1.1mg ram
This plugin provides the functionality of adding social logins to your comments. It does a nice job of adding the buttons for social logins the only problem I ran into was I had to create an account at the third party service and they have a tired account system from free to $1000.00 a year depending on your usage level.. Nuff said where it will do the job it could be costly if you get lots of users commenting and hitting the button to login.
Rating would be a 4 Dragon but dropped to 3 for third party needs.
A-2-Z Alphabetical Archive Links 1.0
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Version: 1.0
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Author: Nowell VanHoesen
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Last Updated: 4 days ago
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Requires WordPress Version: 3.3 or higher
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Compatible up to: 3.5.1
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Downloaded: 41 times
The Lowdown;
When activated takes .5mg ram
While at first it was something I had hoped for it is simply a nice way to access your post archive. I did install it and it did not seem to take me to the page properly.. i would say this still need a bit of work..
Rating 2 Dragons
**WordPress Plugins Reviewed by Marcus**
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MnCombine
http://wordpress.org/plugins/mncombine/
Easily manage the merging and compression of js and css files from plugins and themes
Requires: 3.3.1 or higher
Compatible up to: 3.5.1
Last Updated: 2013-5-29
Downloads: 69
Finds all possible .js and .css files from a WP install available and allows you to combine and/or compress the files to reduce load time. The plugin can monitor file changes in “development” mode (by hashing file mtime) which allows the plugin to recompile the files when a file changes. Or, it can cache the files in “production” mode so that files are only recompiled if they are not found or are deleted manually from the cache folder. Additionally, this plugin will allow you to force the inclusion of javascript files into either the head or the foot of the page.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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Alphabetic Pagination
http://wordpress.org/plugins/alphabetic-pagination/
Requires: 3.0 or higher
Compatible up to: 3.5.1
Last Updated: 2013-6-5
Downloads: 115
Alphabetic pagination is a great plugin to filter your posts/pages with alphabets. It is simple to use and easy to understand for customization.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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Iced Visualization Chart
http://wordpress.org/plugins/iced-visualization-charts/
Requires: 2.9 or higher
Compatible up to: 3.5.1
Last Updated: 2013-6-5
Downloads: 15
Have you ever wanted an easy way to insert Google charts to posts? With this plugin you can easily add a PieChart by clicking a button in the editor and inputting data. For more details, visit plugin homepage: IcedApp
Rating: 4 out of 5
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Just some reminders:
Rate us at iTunes, blubrry.com, ViaWay.com, Stitcher Radio and any place else you find us.
What’s coming in future podcasts:
Special guests with their own plugin picks.
How to Contact Us:
John can be contacted at:
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on my website @ http://www.johnoverall.com/
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WordPress Emergency Support http://wppro.ca/wpemergency
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email: john@wppro.ca
Marcus can be contacted at:
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Marcus Couch can be contacted at his website at marcuscouch.com
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Twitter @marcuscouch
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Consulting Calls: http://marcuscouch.com/call
