Impressionist WordPress Plugins
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John's Intro:
It's Episode 575 and we have plugins forClimbing Cardboard, Virtual Garden, Library Room, Zero Spam, Ada Counter, SoundClouding… and ClassicPress Options. 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 The Brewery Overlook!! …'
…There's always more, but we all know he really just ad-lib's it.
Amber's Rant:
Welcome to Episode 575 – Impressionist WordPress Plugins – This is episode 35 for 2022, and we are working through the new layout of the show! Would love to hear some feedback from our Producers out there on what you think – good? bad? AWESOME?!?!? Let us know!
A Message from your AtoZ Plugin Worker Bee's – This is a Value for Value show, meaning any value you find here, offer that same value back – this can be telling someone about us, offering up 5 bucks or more (we will never turn down shiny, shiny treasure…) for a sugar boost, or spending some time helping out the show!
And don't skip the end of the show Dear Producers – This is where I throw oddball questions at my dad and see if any stump him; haven't managed yet, but one day… perhaps our listeners could help us out…
A special note to our New Listeners: There is no such thing as a stupid question! You see, there is always someone out there with the same questions, and stepping up to ask them will help both you and them! There's no judgement here, or in this community, so ask away!
…When you see this in the notes, this means we didn't read this onto the show, and that 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:
Greg's Graphics (Greg Holdsworth) — https://gregsgraphics.com
Feeling Inspired? Hit up our site at https://wppluginsatoz.com/artwork/ and submit some artwork of your own!
…We can NEVER have too much art!
Or check out allll the artwork at: https://wppluginsatoz.com/artwork/
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:
– (https://ithemes.com/blog/wordpress-vulnerability-report-september-28-2022/) WordPress Vulnerability Report – September 28, 2022 – This weeks vulnerabilities is a bit longer:
Kraken.io Image Optimizer, Backup Scheduler, Favlcon Switcher, Forym, 3dady Real Time Web Stats, WP Custom Cursors, Search Logger, and 3D Tag Cloud.
Be sure to check out your and your client's sites, and keep an eye on this weekly list!
– (https://wptavern.com/twenty-twenty-two-is-the-first-default-block-theme-to-get-tagged-as-accessibility-ready) – Twenty Twenty-Two is the first default Block Theme to get tagged as Accessibility-Ready – For those who are working towards having an entirely accessible site, this is really good news! WordPress has been working with multiple contributor teams, and should hopefully be ready to go in November when WordPress 6.1 hits the stage! Though don't update immediately, be sure to allow time for the creators to work out the inevitable kinks first.
– (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-punts-locally-hosted-fonts-for-legacy-default-themes-to-6-2-release) – WordPress punts locally hosted fonts for Legacy Default Themes to 6.2 release – In other words, WordPress Team is removing the locally hosted fonts for Legacy Default Themes so that there is not another issue cropping up like what happened earlier this year when a German Court fined a website owner for violating the GDPR by using Google-hosted webfonts. Be aware of this and figure out a way to keep your fancy fonts – sooner rather than later may be a good idea.
– (https://wptavern.com/new-prototype-runs-wordpress-in-the-browser-with-no-php-server) – New prototype runs WordPress in the Browser with no PHP Server: Meaning that there is now a demo of what running WordPress with no PHP is like. This was set up by Automattic-sponsored core contributor Adam Zielinski, using WebAssembly (WASM) – a format for stack-based virtual machine that enables it to work.
It's not stable yet, but the concept is interesting! If you go to the article, you can find the link to check it out yourself!
– (https://wptavern.com/publishpress-acquires-metaslider-plugin-and-metaslider-lightbox) – PublishPress acquires MetaSlider Plugin and MetaSlider Lightbox: A few are wondering why PublishPress has acquired sliders from Extendify as they have fallen out of favour recently, though I think that they are planning on re-making the sliders into something more ‘modern'. So for anyone who uses this, keep an eye on the plugin, see what changes may come about; not all changes will work with how you have set things up on your site.
– (https://wptavern.com/woosesh-publishes-schedule-ahead-of-virtual-event-october-11-13-2022) – WooSesh publishes schedule ahead of Virtual Event set for October 11-13, 2022: For those who are interested, be sure to check out the schedule! Each day of the event will be running from 12pm-4pm EST. You can find the link for the posted schedule here in the show notes!
– (https://thenextweb.com/news/easy-guide-to-ruining-apple-macbook-battery) – An easy guide to ruining your MacBook's battery – All the information you need to grind it into (metaphorical) dust!
Really, it's a ‘how NOT to destroy your Mac Book', but the title is more entertaining. And truly, you can take this information and use it for all laptops – one of the first things mentioned is “Keep all your apps running all of the time”. Next: “Never, ever update your software”. You get the idea. Very useful for those teeny boppers who are actually needing a lap top for high school these days! Print this out and pass it to them – and watch their faces. Free entertainment!
ClassicPress News:
…Our News Section really isn't complete without ClassicPress News…
ClassicPress has projects they are looking to have some support with. They have a page with these projects listed and who the contact is for the project. Check out the following page if you are using ClassicPress and are interested in helping them move forward! https://forums.classicpress.net/t/currently-active-projects/3630
They also have some petitions posted check them out!
…For some up to date news on ClassicPress check out the ClassicPress Blog.
The Extras – check out our Facebook, or Twitter page for even more!
…Here you will find news on tech in general, and some random things I think are pretty nifty! If you come across something you think should be added, send me a link at amber@wppro.ca
– (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ransomware-gang-leaks-data-stolen-from-lausd-school-system/) – Ransomware gang leaks data stolen from LAUSD school system
– (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/lazarus-hackers-abuse-dell-driver-bug-using-new-fudmodule-rootkit/) – Lazarus hackers abuse Dell driver bug using new FudModule rootkit
– (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-week-in-ransomware-september-30th-2022-emerging-from-the-shadows/) – The Week in Ransomware – September 30th 2022 – Emerging from the Shadows
– (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cisa-hackers-exploit-critical-bitbucket-server-flaw-in-attacks/) – CISA: Hackers exploit critical Bitbucket Server flaw in attacks
– (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fake-us-govt-job-offers-push-cobalt-strike-in-phishing-attacks/) – Fake US govt job offers push Cobalt Strike in phishing attacks
– (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/optus-breach-victims-will-get-supercharged-fraud-protection/) – Optus breach victims will get “supercharged” fraud protection
– (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-confirms-new-exchange-zero-days-are-used-in-attacks/) – Microsoft confirms new Exchange zero-days are used in attacks
– (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hacking-group-hides-backdoor-malware-inside-windows-logo-image/) – Hacking group hides backdoor malware inside Windows logo image
– (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fired-admin-cripples-former-employers-network-using-old-credentials/) – Fired admin cripples former employer's network using old credentials
– (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/brave-browser-to-start-blocking-annoying-cookie-consent-banners/) – Brave browser to start blocking annoying cookie consent banners
…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/
Let's have a peek at our Contests for this week…
Firstly we want to thank Simple Giveaways for being totally awesome and providing us with their Premium Version for our contests!
Secondly we want to thank Steve Goodtime & Brant Matthews for creating our amazing jingle we still use!!
We don't have a Contest going on right now – When Charlie had to leave us behind for bigger and better things he left some pretty big shoes to fill – and we just haven't had the time to do so this last year. Thank you Charlie for hanging around for so long and keeping our show's Contests on the up and up, making this show the best it could be!
If anyone out there thinks they might be able to fill the shoes Charlie left behind, please give us a shout and give it a go! You can always reach us through wppluginsatoz.com/contact or amber@wppro.ca.
Remember, this is YOUR show! We are just the Worker Bee's here – Don't be afraid to jump up and down and demand a turn at the wheel to help guide the show to where YOU want it to go!
That goes for all the Developers out there too – this is YOUR show! by supporting us with your Plugin donations you are helping to guide the show to where you want to see it go! A GIANT Thank You is owed to the Developers who have been supporting us this whole time, we honestly could not have even gotten this show started without you!
If any Developers out there listening right now are interested in adding to the show by donating a Premium License for our Contests, you can do so by going to WPPluginsAtoZ.com/PluginContest!
Are you ready for the Good Stuff?
Off we go into the meat and potatoes of plugin depravity…..
WordPress Plugins
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John's Plugin
Climbing Cardboard
https://wordpress.org/plugins/climbing-cartboard/
The Lowdown:
The ideal plugin for rock climbing lovers which allows registered users to create and add climbed routes to their own climbing card/logbook. Also, the plugin calculates statistics for every user individually and all users too.
Rating 4 Dragons
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Amber's Plugin
Zero Spam for WordPress
https://wordpress.org/plugins/zero-spam/
The Lowdown:
I've been looking for help against the smart form spammers out there – when I read the title, I was honestly a little suspicious.
You will find the setup area for this under ‘Settings', then click ‘Zero Spam'.
This plugin is easy to understand for the settings, and has a lot of options for integration, including both Gravity Forms and WP Forms.
It seems to work well, and appears to play well with others – and is totally free!
Long term speaking, it does appear to help cut down on the smart form spammers out there, though does not fully and completely remove them; admittedly, you will never truly rid yourself of these guys, though this does help to cut down!
It seems to focus on those who make more than the usual amount of entries, blocks IP; not always useful, though does help.
Too bad they called themselves Zero Spam though – there's always a few that break through honestly…
Rating: 4 Dragons
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John's Plugin
FloraPress – Your Garden on WordPress
https://wordpress.org/plugins/florapress/
The Lowdown:
Now you can easily manage plant and garden information on your WordPress blog. This plugin brings your plant profiles, plots of land and planting plans together enabling you to track key dates for sowing and harvesting, planting conditions, your garden environment and more. A range of shortcodes enables you to add plant and plot information to other blog pages – ideal if you use WordPress to keep a garden journal. Suitable for both flower and vegetable gardens.
Rating 4 Dragons
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Amber's Plugin
Ada views counter
https://wordpress.org/plugins/ada-views-counter/
The Lowdown:
This is a plugin designed to count how many times your post has been viewed. You will find the plugin on the right hand side menu as ‘Ada views counter'.
I really like this, it works well and looks good – though in order to use it you must first modify your theme, adding a “call' to the shortcode provided.
Unfortunately, unless you know how to do that already, this might be a little difficult for just anyone to use. I personally think it might have been a better idea to make it something where you only needed to add a shortcode to whichever page/post you wanted visits counted.
However, it is totally free and works well!
Rating: 4 Dragons
We Interrupt this Meat and Potatoes of Plugin Depravity Edition to bring you our Donations Segment and to thank our Producers!
Remember, this is YOUR show! We're just the Worker Bee's here. Don't forget to restock the show's larders with some Time, Treasure, or Talent Donations! Need more info on how to do that? Check out our site wppluginsatoz.com – right up in the menu you will see each one under ‘Donations'!
Special thanks goes to:
Free-Lance Producers popping in and out:
Though always showing up at unexpected times, these Producers are surely part of the reason our name is getting out there! Thank you!
…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 hanging-out in the Lounge:
Always about the place consuming all the coffee and donuts, these Producers earn it by helping out with our contests, artwork, site organization, notes, questions, suggestions, licenses, and by hiring us! Your Time and Talent Donations are equal to your Treasure Donations of under $50, and we would not be here without you – thank you!
…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.
War Room Producers:
With their donations of $50 or more these Producers receive a few extra perks – an official AtoZ Handle of their choice, a spotlight in that weeks show for a short speech, an official Executive Producership Credit, and seeing the ‘Magic' as it happens up in the War Room before we send the show out into the netherworld of the internets! Thank you for sticking by us and helping to keep the Back Room Producers stocked in coffee and donuts!
…**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!**
…To receive your Official AtoZ Handle, think up an original name, and send it into us! Be sure to note down the show number and title of the show so that we know when to log it!
…Your spotlight can be an elevator pitch for your business, a note, or you can just skip it!
…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 shows up on, and we will back up your right to claim Producership!
…'seeing the Magic happen' refers to being part of the show – if you are interested in taking up a larger part in the show, reach out to us and let us know! We will be happy to discuss the options!
…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 list!
Thank you, now back to the Meat and Potatoes of Plugin Depravity Edition!
John's Plugin
Classroom Library
https://wordpress.org/plugins/classroom-library/
The Lowdown:
Classroom library plugin to catalog books and create a check in/out system for students.
Quick entry of publications: Using the built-in barcode lookup, you can use a scanner or enter a barcode to pull book details from OpenLibrary.org automatically – no API keys needed!
Visual directory: Use a shortcode to place your library listing on any page you’d like!
Rating: 4 Dragons
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Amber's Plugin
Embed SoundCloud block
https://wordpress.org/plugins/embed-soundcloud-block/
The Lowdown:
This is a new Gutenberg Block Plugin that is totally free, and really useful! Especially for those crazy podcasters out there!
Once you activate it, you will see the block option pop up for your blocks while you are building. The set up is fairly easy, and the versatility of the look of it is really awesome!
You can set it up with pictures, or not – set it up so that you are only playing your own playlist – kinda like your own radio station! – or you can set it up so that people can choose what to play, or download – it's a really nifty plugin!
If you are looking to get your own demo's out there and you use Gutenberg, this could be a very useful plugin for you!
The only drawback I see is that it only works with Gutenberg, not anything else.
Rating: 4 Dragons
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ClassicPress
We have sadly neglected ClassicPress… we are working to remedy this.
…A little about ClassicPress for those who aren't sure: ClassicPress is WordPress frozen at version 4.9. Once WordPress moved to 5, they added in a whole lot of new folders, and the experimental additions to the Core started in earnest. ClassicPress is literally the Classic version of WordPress. A few plugins have been made over the years for just ClassicPress, though all Plugins compatible with WordPress 4.9 should work for ClassicPress.
To any ClassicPress user listening right now: I challenge you – yes YOU – to write a review of your favourite, or least favourite ClassicPress plugin, and send it into us! You can do so by hitting us up at https://wppluginsatoz.com/submit-plugin-review/!
…And feel free to add more to this section by reaching out to me at amber@wppro.ca.
ClassicPress Resource Section:
This information is like Fruit Cake! It doesn't wither away and will still be good years down the road so it's great for learning! Go and check this section out in our Show Notes if you have an interest!
…We have thrown some ClassicPress Resources in here for you – and they appear to have stuck like well cooked pasta! Glad you made it to this part of the notes since we only mention it lightly on the show – If we missed something, let us know!
…Learn more about ClassicPress 1.4.0 RC2:
…ClassicPress Tutorials on their site:
…https://www.classicpress.net/category/tutorials/
…ClassicPress's “Must Have” Plugins List:
…https://forums.classicpress.net/t/must-have-plugins-list/1163
…ClassicPress Repository!!
…https://directory.classicpress.net/plugins They now have 71 plugins (and counting!) available.
…WordPress Plugin Section compatible with ClassicPress:
…https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/classicpress/
Questions, Notes, and Feedback from our Producers out there:
…Send us your thoughts and opinions, but most of all send us your questions! 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!
Nope, nothing today; seems our homing pigeon got lost on the way back with our messages again….
How to be part of your own production!
Interviews – get yourself out there using us as your tool!
…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 Plugin Reviews, or suggestions for 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 questions and/or comments!
…Have a thought to share? Send it in! You can stay anonymous or belt your name out in all caps!
Stuff and reminders about Stuff:
Meetups:
Our Meet Up on September 10 was pretty awesome! We didn't have many who showed up, but it was a fun social gathering – and we got the opportunity to watch the smoke as it rolled in over us from the mainland and covered the sky; though not necessarily a good thing to endure, it was kind of fascinating to watch!
Keep an eye here for the next Meet Up!
Random:
Remember you can check out our Show Notes on our site wppluginsatoz.com! There is extra information to grab up there that we don't even speak out loud on the show!
Today's Plugins we covered were:
John’s Plugins: Climbing Cardboard – 4, FloraPress – Your Garden on WordPress – 4, Classroom Library – 4
Amber's Plugins: Zero Spam for WordPress – 4, Ada views counter – 4, Embed SoundCloud block – 4
Ways to support the show!
You can support us by Subscribing to our Newsletter, Donating, or reviewing us on Stitcher Radio, Google Play, or the iTunes Store.
Join us on our Facebook, and hit the *Like* button on our YouTube Channel!
…Just showing up to our YouTube Channel and joining us live every Thursday at 11am PDT is a FANTASTIC show of support! So is joining our FaceBook page and hitting *Share* on our posts every once in a while!
…Giving a review of us on any of the platforms listed above would be super helpful too!
Want to get ahold of us???
If you still do Snail Mail, you can send an actual, physical letter or item to this Brick and Mortar address:
…(Pssst! I love receiving things that are not bills! Especially art if you enjoy drawing – no matter what age!)
WP Plugins A to Z
C/O John Overall
20-754 E Fairview Rd.
Victoria, BC V9A 5T9
Canada
OR, you can email us!
Amber: amber@wppro.ca
John: john@wppro.ca
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!
- What will this site we heard about earlier be like, running without PHP? Would you run a site without PHP? Why or why not?
- What exactly is PHP, and how does it work?
Questions asked after closing credits:
- Why do we need to update PHP?
- Do you think something will crop up to replace PHP?
One more time for the ways to contact us!
Our Brick and Mortar Address – just in case you decide to send along a gift!
(Especially art if you enjoy drawing – no matter what age!)
WP Plugins A to Z
C/O John Overall
20-754 E Fairview Rd.
Victoria, BC V9A 5T9
Canada
Fastest way to contact us:
John:
- My website: http://www.johnoverall.com/
- WordPress Emergency Support: http://wppro.ca/wpemergency
- email: john@wppro.ca
Amber:
- email: amber@wppro.ca
