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Outer World WordPress Plugin

John's Intro:

It's Episode 620 and we have plugins for Showing ID's and Simple Customizations… 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 620 – Outer World 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!

Dunno about the rest of you – but I really find snow rather irritating. I mean, with a snow blower it's a lot less so – but its… wet… and cold… and it sticks around long after its welcome has worn thin! It's like the guest that has overstayed it's welcome…

Although it IS a good excuse to drink more hot chocolate and cuddle up to your loved ones, so it does have that going for it. Hoping everyone out there is keeping warm and dry and enjoying their hot drinks with their loved ones!

A few reminders before we start the show today….

Reminders:

Reminder that our show is now every other week, and that it 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:

Sir Rogue of the Tavern – Barron of the Cowichan Valley
https://theroguesoasis.com/

say something about the current art!

We would love some new art from our Producers out there! If you are so inclined, you can send it into us at https://wppluginsatoz.com/artwork/. If you need some inspiration, you can always go to our site wppluginsatoz.com and check out our Art Vaults – you will find the link for it on the left hand side.

…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 – January 17, 2024
(https://solidwp.com/blog/wordpress-vulnerability-report-january-17-2024/) – I believe I was right about the timing of the reports within the holidays! They seem to be on a roll again which I am very happy to see! In this report there are 77 new vulnerabilities since their last report on January 10, luckily none of them are WordPress Core issues! Of the plugins there are only 16 that have yet to be patched, though the ones with a patch are definitely ones if you use them should be updated ASAP. Be sure to have a look through!
The ones I most easily recognize are: Constant Contact Forms by MailMunch, WPS Hide Login, The Events Calendar, Plugin for Google Reviews, EventON, EventON Pro, and Max Buttons.

WordPress Vulnerability Report from PatchStack
(https://patchstack.com/database/) – This is a great link we are keeping here, it gives the most recent issues that have cropped up and the severity of them. Most recent at the time of writing this was 2 days ago that I can see immediately, and it is a plugin.

Data Liberation in 2024
(https://wordpress.org/news/2024/01/data-liberation-in-2024/) – In an article written by Matt Mullenweg himself, Data Liberation is an article about a more open web, where people can switch between any platform of their own choosing, and where being web locked into a system would be a thing of the past. Honestly makes me think of Ready Player One…

Data Liberation 2024 is the ability to export all of your content, or migrate all of your content to WordPress in one single click. His goal is to get WordPress' export format to become the lingua franca of CMSes, whether coming to WordPress or moving within it – though I noticed he doesn't say anything about leaving WordPress. I suppose if the migration is perfect coming in the door, it would probably be good for heading out the door as well, though I am not sure…

3 Predictions for WordPress in 2024
(https://thewpminute.com/3-predictions-for-wordpress-in-2024/) – This is actually a podcast – although it seems that this may wind up being one of the changes for 2024 – most news being given through podcasts with a transcript rather then just written out as an article. The 3 changes talked about by Matt Medeiros are:

New Admin changes the game
New addition to the culture of WordPress
AI decisions to make: Closed Source vs Open Source

He makes some very good points on all of these, and then throws in some really good links at the bottom as well.

Google's Chrome Browser could soon help you hide your IP address
(https://gizmodo.com/google-chrome-browser-help-you-hide-your-ip-address-1850950257) – Not exactly a VPN, and it will only work with Google-owned domains to start – though it could offer users more ways to hide their activity online perhaps. I don't think they are going to really help much at first… but if they branch out and away from only Google-owned domains, then I believe that they could certainly give VPN's a run for their money! Although I can't help but wonder – why are they doing this for no cost? What do they get out of this?
VPN companies always charge you. So that is what they get out of it – they get paid for a service that they provide.

What will Google get out of this though? I would take a careful look at any agreement with Google you will be asked to agree to when using this service to see what it is that they will get out of this. Nothing comes for free.

The Extras – check out our Facebook, or Twitter page for even more!

2024 tech industry predictions: a few may surprise you
(https://www.technewsworld.com/story/2024-tech-industry-predications-a-few-may-surprise-you-178919.html)

W3Techs names Elementor Content Management System of the year 2023
(https://thewpminute.com/w3techs-names-elementor-content-management-system-of-the-year-2023/)

Post Status's take on ‘Data Liberation' and other items
(https://thewpminute.com/w3techs-names-elementor-content-management-system-of-the-year-2023/)

These rugged Android phones have a second screen that's surprisingly useful
(https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-rugged-android-phone-has-a-second-screen-thats-surprisingly-useful/)

Tech billionaires release map of Uptopian City they want to build in California
(https://gizmodo.com/tech-billionaires-utopian-city-california-map-1851176379)

Learning product life cycle management
(https://blog.hubspot.com/the-hustle/product-lifecycle-management?hubs_content=blog.hubspot.com%252Fai%252Fgoogle-launches-new-watermarking-tech&hubs_content-cta=null)

Courts, regulators pose threat to Apple services revenue in 2024
(https://www.technewsworld.com/story/courts-regulators-pose-threat-to-apple-services-revenue-in-2024-178918.html)

Building a digital Workplace: Tips and Strategies
(https://blog.hubspot.com/the-hustle/digital-workplace?hubs_content=blog.hubspot.com%252Fai%252Fgoogle-launches-new-watermarking-tech&hubs_content-cta=null)

Meta is going all in on artificial general intelligence, says Zuckerberg. Here's why it matters
(https://www.zdnet.com/article/meta-is-going-all-in-on-artificial-general-intelligence-says-zuckerberg-heres-why-it-matters/)

Dragon Rating Time!

John's Plugin

Show IDs

https://wordpress.org/plugins/wpsite-show-ids/

Version:1.1.10

Requires:4.9 or higher

Compatible up to:6.3.5

Released:09 September 2014

Downloads:230913

Last Updated:02 November 2023

Ratings:

4.8

(4.8 star out of 5)

Download Link:Click here

The Lowdown:

Show IDs by DraftPress is super light-weight and does not need any configuration or separate options page. Simply activate the plugin and IDs will be displayed on all admin pages.

Light-weight with no options page required
Adds a new column on admin page to display IDs of all posts, pages, categories, and more
Supports custom post types and custom taxonomies

Features

The Show ID plugin will reveal IDs for the following:

posts
pages
categories
tags
links
media
users
comments
link categories
custom taxonomies
custom post types

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

A neat trick I've learned is to get someone who knows absolutely nothing about web design and graphic art to have a look at the site you are creating and/or rebuilding. Ask them to really look at it and to point out any flaws between the two sites for one you are rebuilding, or to point out any oddities that make the site out of whack or not great to use for the ones you are creating.

Sure, they don't know anything at all about creation of a site – but that's kinda the point.

Sometimes, we need the outlook of someone who knows nothing of the creation to tell us whether we are on the right track. Getting people who go to sites just to get the information rather then to get the ‘know how' on doing things, or those of us who look at a site and try to figure out which plugins they are using based on what they see on the site – we are probably the worst ones to look over a site creation and have the ability to tell if it is heading in the right direction.

We want the teenagers, and the technology inept to look at the site and tell us what they think the site could use to be easier to use and easier for them to navigate – and also their eyes will be able to spot the differences between the original and rebuild of a site then yours will because once again, you are too immersed in everything about it.

Don't look down on those who know nothing about this, look at them as one of the best tools you got in the tool box!

Beginners Tips

Sometimes it feels like it's a constant uphill battle, trying to learn everything you need to know to keep going forward in this business – and it is. You don't stop learning – I feel like I am still at the very beginning of my learning although I have been learning for 3 1/2 years now – loads of research later I find I can answer a lot of questions and do a lot of things, but that I still feel like I know nothing. That is just how it feels because there is always so much more to learn!

But don't despair, eventually you will feel less like you are drowning in the learning, and more like you are keeping yourself a float.

But one thing you need to remember – is that cutting yourself off from everyone and missing out on living in order to learn what you think is enough to learn – that's not good. And oddly enough, you will learn less that way. By taking regular breaks and spending a decent amount of time away from the computer and the learning, you will actually hold more in your mind, and have better recall of the information you are cramming into your brainmeats.

Don't give up on living in an attempt to make a living.

…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

Simple Custom Login Page

https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-custom-login-page/

Version:1.0.1

Requires:5.3.0 or higher

Compatible up to:6.4.5

Released:31 December 2023

Downloads:1232

Last Updated:31 December 2023

Ratings:

(5 star out of 5)

Download Link:Click here

The Lowdown:

This is a newer plugin designed to modify your WordPress Login page, a lot like a plugin I have used in the past for a client so I figured I would give it a try.

When you first download and activate it, you will find the dashboard under ‘Settings'>'Simple Custom Login'. I like when they keep the same name and don't get all fancy on you, changing the name that shows up in your left-hand menu…

Another place you can find the settings dashboard is on the plugin page, right below the plugin you will see a link for ‘Settings'. I also very much like when they add that into the plugin area – makes it very easy to jump from download and activation over to the ‘Settings'!

Once in the dashboard for the plugin, you will see an area to add your logo image, the logo link, page background, form background, text colour, and link colour.

You can be very specific with the colour option too, putting the code in there to get exactly what you want rather then having to choose between a set of pre-chosen colours.

Unfortunately you can't change the font, or choose a ‘hover' colour for the links, though considering that this is a free and very easy to use light plugin, it's an easy thing to live without!

Once you hit ‘Save Changes', your login page is now saved!

It works for when you are keeping your site behind a maintenance wall as well, making sure that the login looks just as pretty as always.

I really like this plugin for its ease of use, and simplicity in everything – makes for a great grab and go tool!

Rating: 5 Dragon

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!

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!

… 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

… 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/

… 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/

… 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/!

Hi Amber and John,

Thanks for doing this show, I learn a lot from you both. As I go through my email, I see emails that appear to be coming from my website but I am not sure if they really are. Below is a sample of one of the emails, however, I have not included the links that were sent in the email. How do I know if this is really coming from my website? Where in my C-panel do I go to check without having to click on the links in the email? I am paranoid about clicking links and getting a virus, spy ware or worse, have my website hijacked.

Look forward to your insight.

Sharron

Subject: Your Site is Experiencing a Technical Issue

Howdy!
WordPress has a built-in feature that detects when a plugin or theme causes a fatal error on your site, and notifies you with this automated email.
In this case, WordPress caught an error with your theme, Astra.
First, visit your website (insert link to website here) and check for any visible issues. Next, visit the page where the error was caught (insert link to page with the apparent problem) and check for any visible issues.
Please contact your host for assistance with investigating this issue further.
If your site appears broken and you can't access your dashboard normally, WordPress now has a special “recovery mode”. This lets you safely login to your dashboard and investigate further.
(Insert another link)
To keep your site safe, this link will expire in 1 day. Don't worry about that, though: a new link will be emailed to you if the error occurs again after it expires.
When seeking help with this issue, you may be asked for some of the following information: WordPress version 6.4.2 Active theme: Astra Child (version 1.0.0) Current plugin: (version ) PHP version 8.2.14
Error Details

It then lists 16 lines with inactive links.

This is the end of the email

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!

WordCamp Garazoga – January 19-20, 2024

WordPress Web Challenge – January 27, 2024

WordCamp Pheonix – February 9-10, 2024

WordCamp Pune India – February 17, 2024

WordCamp Kansai 2024 – February 23-24, 2024

To see the entire list you can follow the link here in the show notes, then click on ‘More WordCamps' right below the list of the next 5. https://central.wordcamp.org/

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/
For those that live in Victoria, unfortunately the YYJ WordPress Meetup group has been cancelled and no longer exists.

Keep checking back every week to find out what else is going on!

And remember, the show notes found at wppluginsatoz.com have 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:

Show IDs By DraftPress

Super Light Weight
Displays IDs of all posts, pages, categories, and more
Supports custom post types and custom taxonomies

Rating: 5 Dragons

Amber's Plugin:

Simple Custom Login Page By George Pattichis

Easy customizeability for your login page
Simple to fill out
Light load plugin for your site