WordPress AI is Here
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John's Intro:
It's Episode 591 and we have plugins for Advanced Wishlist, Profiling WordPress, Magical AI, Local Avatars, Post Order, Inline Relation… 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 …'
Amber's Rant:
Welcome to Episode 591 – WordPress AI is Here – So far, I think the AI helper apps are the coolest ones. They are fully connected to the Internet, even though the ChatBot GPT isn't. Personally I'm kind of on the fence regarding the AI development – on one hand I find them absolutely fascinating, on the other hand I am rather worried about how they will decide to logically respond to us emotional and irrational creatures when they reach sentience… what do you think? Would love for some of our listeners to reach out and let us know where you stand on the whole thing.
Remember: This is a Value for Value show, meaning any value you find here, offer that same value back! We accept all currencies including time and talent currency! Chocolate is always good too…
And don't skip the end of the show – you never know what kind of amazing life altering advice you might catch!
A special note to all of our Listeners out there: What do you think about the way our show flows? Got an idea? Share it with us! Got a question? Don't be shy about asking! If you have a question or an idea that will make this show better, don't hesitate to chuck it at us – if we can't catch it we will just duck.
…When you see this in the notes, this means we didn't read this on 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:
Artist: Artist J. Saliba
We are still lacking in new art, however because of this we get to bring forth some amazing art that has not been seen for a while!
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:
WordPress Vulnerability Report – February 1, 2023 (https://ithemes.com/blog/wordpress-vulnerability-report-february-1-2023/) – No new core vulnerabilities to worry about, and not that long of a list of plugins with vulnerabilities either. As always, be sure to check this link out in our show notes so that you can double check and see if there are any plugins in the ‘fixed' list that you have.
Plugins with vulnerabilities I most easily recognize are:
Page Builder: Live Composer, Login Logout Menu, Easy Social Box, Post Views Count, and Bootstrap Shortcodes. There are more in the list, you can check out the link from our show notes at WPPluginsAtoZ.com.
WordPress Plugin Developers alerted ahead of Twitter API changes (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-plugin-developers-alerted-ahead-of-twitter-api-changes) – Beginning February 9, 2023, Twitter will turn off free access to its API's. The company announces yesterday that it will be offering ‘a paid basic tier' – though you won't get the details until sometime later this week. Hopefully before the 9th.
When asked about why Twitter will be removing the API and if it had anything to do with the bots, Elon responded with the following: “Yeah, free API is being abused badly right now by bot scammers and opinion manipulators,” Musk said. “There’s no verification process or cost, so easy to spin up 100k bots to do bad things. Just ~$100/month for API access with ID verification will clean things up greatly.” .
NetNewsWire has announced that they will be removing Twitter API citing ‘you may think we rely on RSS feeds from Twitter, but Twitter removed RSS feeds from the service something like ten years ago. We rely completely on the Twitter API.'
The following types (features) of Twitter are likely to be affected:
- Auto-posting
- Login with Twitter
- Analytics
- Management Tools
- Scripted Interactions (auto-blocking etc)
So keep in mind that if a plugin that does any of these suddenly breaks around the 9th, it's not likely the plugin developers fault – it's the removal of the API that your plugin relies on to present your feed. Be kind to your developers on this.
On the flip side, developers out there – you might want to get yourself settled in and be ready for a bit of a hurricane regarding this if you have clients who rely heavily on Twitter API's.
You have been warned.
New proposal calls for Automated Performance Monitoring for WordPress Core (https://wptavern.com/new-proposal-calls-for-automated-performance-monitoring-for-wordpress-core) – WordPress Core committer Adam Silverstein has put forth a proposal for continuous monitoring for performance issues so they can be resolved before major regressions are committed to Core. The idea comes from the Gutenberg uploads where the site health is now showing ‘time to first byte' (TTFB) for classic vs block themes; also displayed are metrics for changes in loading time, typing time, and block selection time – all in your health dashboard. It seems the idea is to present this kind of information for the WordPress Core, allowing any issues to present before it is included in the next upgrade.
Open Source Initiative and OpenLogic Release 2023 State of Open Source Report (https://wptavern.com/open-source-initiative-and-openlogic-release-2023-state-of-open-source-report) – OpenLogic a technical support company Open Source Initiative (OSI, also the non-profit stewards of Open Source Definition (OSD)) have published the 2023 State of Open Source Report. The Open Source Report seems to be a large survey comprising of 872 qualified responses from more than 20 major industries showing that 80% of organizations report an increase of (Open Source Software) over the past year. There are more percentiles throughout the article, you can check it out in our show notes.
WordPress launches Old Tickets Trac Triage Sessions (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-launches-old-tickets-trac-triage-sessions) – As part of the ‘big pictures goals for WordPress 2023', the project is making a serious effort to work through old tickets that have been stuck in limbo due to no consensus, missing decisions, or multiple possible solutions. JB Audras a WordPress Core Committer seems to be especially dedicated in moving these tickets forward or closing the ones that are not longer relevant. At least 19 tickets are 15 years old, 688 are 10 years old, and the vast majority of these tickets fall into the the 5-10 year range of age. The first triage session was on January 26 in the #core slack channel, and there was a 13 year old ticket that became part of the 6.2 agenda. If you want to join in and see if you can take up some of these older tickets yourself, the next triage session will be on February 9 at the #core slack channel.
WordPress Contributors work towards removing Site Editor Beta Label for 6.2 release (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-contributors-work-towards-removing-site-editor-beta-label-for-6-2-release) – This has been in discussion for a while, contributors have been aiming to remove this label since the 6.1 release; currently, we are being told “… fingers crossed that we get to remove the label this time around…” There is an acceptance criteria keeping them from being able to remove the label this far: everything must be loaded before users start interacting, removing jumpiness of half-rendered states. For those who are worried, Phase 2 does not mean that feedback or bug reports will stop being accepted. You can read more on this in our show notes.
WordPress.com introduces Browse Mode, Style Book, and Push to Global Styles Features (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-com-introduces-browse-mode-style-book-and-push-to-global-styles-features) – WordPress.com is getting early access to features from WordPress 6.2. One of the most impactful features coming down the line for WordPress 6.2 is ‘Browse Mode' – this is supposed to unify design and make it easier and less confusing to navigate the Site Editor.
Generative AI and the ensuing computer human whisperers (https://www.technewsworld.com/story/generative-ai-and-the-ensuing-computer-human-whisperer-177689.html) – This is a really cool article I found on the likelihood of the need for whisperers for AI to Human, and Human to AI. Whisperer is generally used when referring to a person who has a seemingly uncanny ability to understand animals, to be able to create that bond of trust of which seems impossible for the owner to comprehend; whisperers seem to be born with this ability, not learn it. So when we are reading about Human to AI whisperers, it will likely be those who come by the gift naturally, who are able to understand what the AI needs to hear in order to understand and properly answer the question. The AI to Human whisperers will be the AI's that have grasped the ability to translate the information the AI has into Human understanding most easily. I found the idea very interesting.
ClassicPress News:
…Our News Section really isn't complete without ClassicPress News…
At the beginning of January, ClassicPress asked ‘Why Do You Use ClassicPress Instead of WordPress?' They want to hear your story so follow the link and read why they want to hear from you and how they may use your story.
https://www.classicpress.net/why-classicpress-instead-wordpress/
ClassicPress has released 1.5.0 which which brings full support for PHP 8.0., Image Lazy Loading, And More In v1.5.0 Read up on all the changes that come with the new version.
Remember to do your backup before you upgrade!!
https://www.classicpress.net/php-8-0-support-in-v1-5-0/
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!
CES 2023 and the Smart Energy let down (https://www.technewsworld.com/story/ces-2023-and-the-smart-energy-letdown-177682.html)
Here's how ChatGPT could look as part of Microsoft Bing (https://www.techradar.com/news/heres-how-chatgpt-could-look-as-part-of-microsoft-bing)
China reveals huge blockchain cluster that could be a taste of our dystopian future (https://www.techradar.com/news/china-reveals-huge-blockchain-cluster-that-could-be-a-taste-of-the-dystopian-future-to-come)
Your Smart Speaker could be listening more than you think (https://www.techradar.com/news/your-smart-speaker-could-be-listening-to-more-than-you-think)
Jury rules that Elon Musk is not liable for shareholder losses after ‘funding secured' tweets (https://www.engadget.com/elon-musk-tesla-shareholder-trial-verdict-232434731.html)
NASA Satellite will use radar to map Earth's crust in extreme detail (https://www.engadget.com/nasa-india-nisar-radar-satellite-215200448.html)
Researchers can now pull Hydrogen directly from seawater, no filtering required. (https://www.engadget.com/clean-hydrogen-fuel-split-seawater-214042411.html)
All the big tech layoffs in 2023 (https://www.engadget.com/tech-layoffs-183005204.html)
The best AI art generators: DALL-E2 and other fun alternatives to try (https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-ai-art-generator/)
Shortage of Interaction Design in a world obsessed with Design Systems (https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-ai-art-generator/)
Color-Magic – generate ideal color palettes with the power of AI (https://colormagic.app/)
…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!!
And we want to thank Charlie for coming to our aid and rescue yet again with another fantastic contest!
The Winner of the
SweepPress – Unlimited Lifetime Agency Licence Giveaway
valued at $459
Is Jason Lee!!
Contratulations Jason!!
No Contest starting this week.
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!
Time to dive in to the meat and potatoes of plugin depravity!
Off we go….
WordPress Plugins
————————————————-
John's Plugin
Advanced Wishlist for WooCommerce
https://wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-wishlist-for-woocommerce/
The Lowdown:
Advanced Wishlist for WooCommerce is exactly what you need for creating a wishlist on your site.
This plugin not only adds wishlist to your WooCommerce store. As a shop owner, you can view a list of popular products added to the user's wishlists that is so helpful for the further marketing purposes. Use the plugin to create bookmarks, a list of the favorite products, and in many other ways.
It is so easy to setup “Add to wishlist” button on your site and change it's style through the Customizer. You can show the wishlist button both on the product page and on the shop loop and adjust the style of each button separately.
Rating 4 Dragons
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Amber's Plugin
Inline Related Posts
https://wordpress.org/plugins/intelly-related-posts/
The Lowdown:
Looking for a plugin to help bring forth related posts I tripped across this one. It makes me think of one of my favourite sites to peruse where there are always related posts linked throughout the articles – sometimes great to have, sometimes irritating because it can break up the article I am reading. This one though only shows up at the bottom of the article it seems, which in my opinion makes it better.
You will find the settings dashboard under ‘Settings'>'Inline Related Posts'. And honestly, the settings are a lot of fun to play with, and it has been set up really well! First you need to make the option ‘active', then you get to play with the colours! They offer quite a selection in the free version of the colours for the site title, link, background, and border colour.
That's just the super fun part – other settings include, though are not limited to:
- how many boxes of related posts per post
- interval between boxes counted in words
- posts from the last how many days – 0 = no limit
- where to use the boxes
- where to pull the posts from – categories, tags, or both
- where to integrate it – in post, in product, etc.
There are so many options in the free version, and the premium version is even better! More options, more ability to personalize, just loads of options.
This is a great freemium plugin, well worth checking out if you have a site just chalk full of posts, and it looks great.
Rating: 4 Dragons
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John's Plugin
Profiler – What Slowing Down Your WP
https://wordpress.org/plugins/profiler-what-slowing-down/
The Lowdown:
This plugin allows you to run most important test for performance, request time and number of
database queries.
You will be able to detect the plugin which cause troubles and result with longer waiting time for request results.
Testings are executed based on your homepage
Rating 4 Dragons
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Amber's Plugin
Post Types Order
https://wordpress.org/plugins/post-types-order/
The Lowdown:
This plugin makes it possible to change the order of your posts.
Once installed, you will find the option for re-ordering under Posts>Re-Order. Once this is chosen you will see every post of yours listed, and you simply drag and drop the post to set the order it will layout. This does not change the categories or anything, just the order it shows up.
Excellent plugin to make sure that your posts show up the way you want them to.
Just a short note to the creators NSP Code – I think it is super cool that you guys have a live code feed at the bottom of your page right beside your twitter button!
Rating: 5 Dragons
We Interrupt the 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
WordMagic AI – ChatGPT GPT-3 AI content writer
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordmagic-content-writer/
The Lowdown:
WordMagic AI powered by most advanced GPT-3 artificial intelligence module makes it super easy to generate high quality, SEO optimized, engaging content for your WordPress site within seconds!. Choose your preferred writing style and writing tone to get the perfect content with the help of natural language processing technology.
Rating 5 Dragons
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Amber's Plugin
Simple Local Avatars
https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-local-avatars/
The Lowdown:
What this plugin does is make an avatar option for you where you can use any picture you like, uploaded from your own media files or from your computer, cuts it down to proper avatar size, and saves the new version into your media file for you as an avatar.
Working on a clients site recently, they had a lot of Authors they needed to have added who did not have Gravatar accounts, though they had proper head shot jpgs. With this I was able to upload their jpgs into the avatar and make it possible to have a good picture for the author boxes.
Once this is installed and activated, you will find an extra option below the usual Gravatar option in the user's dashboard. Here you can add whichever picture you want, and it will be changed to a proper Avatar size, and saved in your media.
In other avatar plugins I have tried, I have noticed that it simply replaces the Gravatar option – this one does not. It is an additional option that works alongside the Gravatar, making it so that everyone who already has a Gravatar option set up will not lose what they have.
Great free plugin.
Rating: 5 Dragons
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ClassicPress
ClassicPress seems to be gaining some forward momentum with the new leaders at the helm. I hope that they manage to keep ClassicPress going, that they become super strong and amazing like I know they can, and that they manage to keep that part of themselves that caused us to like them so much in the first place.
…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:
…https://forums.classicpress.net/t/classicpress-1-4-0-rc2-release-notes/3785?fbclid=IwAR3wGK5IW8ssJ-XC4k7IiZMBtSjUTVN2pexk6ATCRvuMN-Fn-McOy-XJJv8
…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!
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:
Nothing new has been set out yet, it all depends on how moody our Island is going be this winter and how much snow/rain we get – no sense having a meetup if the main highway gets washed out again!
Keep an eye here for the next Meet Up, eventually we will get it going!
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:
- Advanced Wishlist for WooCommerce 4
- Profiler – What Slowing Down Your WP 4
- WordMagic AI – ChatGPT GPT-3 AI Content Writer 5
Amber's Plugins:
- Simple Local Avatars 5
- Post Types Order 5
- Inline Related Posts 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!
- How would one re-create a 6 year old website from a full-site backup zip file?
- What is the most tricky part of doing something like this?
I have a couple more questions for my dad just after the closing credits, for those listening elsewhere, you will have to make your way over to the YouTube's!
Questions asked after closing credits:
- Say you really liked a website you built years ago. Would you be ‘allowed' to take that website, upload it, and than change the information to your own? The setup would be the same, though the information would be different. Is something like that allowed?
- Does the copyright cover the layout of the site for the owner of the domain, for the creator of the website, or both? Or does the copyright only cover the information inside the layout of a site?
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
