WordPress Plugin ZEN
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WordPress Plugin ZEN
It's Episode 576 and we have plugins for Remembralls, WP Code Everything, Zone Converter, re-writing emails, inactive logins, redirecting logins… and ClassicPress Options. It's all coming up on WordPress Plugins A-Z!
John's Intro:
– ‘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 576 – WordPress Plugin ZEN – 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:
Angel Lemus — http://www.koadigital.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:
– WordPress Vulnerability Report – October 12, 2022 (https://ithemes.com/blog/wordpress-vulnerability-report-october-12-2022/) This weeks list is short and sweet! WP Total Hacks, and WP Word Count. There was a Vulnerability in ‘Newspaper WordPress Theme', though that has been fixed!
– Shortcodes Ultimate Plugin patches CSRF vulnerability in version 5.12.1 (https://wptavern.com/shortcodes-ultimate-plugin-patches-csrf-vulnerability-in-version-5-12-1) – Shortcodes ultimate plugin has now patched a vulnerability in the most recent version; the vulnerability was a security issue in the shortcode generator. The changelog does not offer specifics, and the date the vulnerability was patched was 2 weeks ago – currently, it is not thought to have been taken advantage of, though be sure to update!
– WordPress.org removes active install growth data for plugins (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-org-removes-active-install-growth-data-for-plugins) – This is a key metric that many developers and a handful of services rely on for tracking; the reason given for removal is ‘insufficient data obfuscation' – a lot of the WordPress community is not happy about this…
– WordPress.org plugin developers demand transparency regarding the removal of active install growth data (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-org-plugin-developers-demand-transparency-regarding-the-removal-of-active-install-growth-data) – The frustrations are mounting as developers plead with WordPress leadership to restore access to the active install growth data for plugins. This had been removed without a public discussion, and a ticket calling for bringing back the charts is home to a heated discussion on the matter. So far, no results – we shall see what happens.
– Hosted WooCommerce solution coming to WordPress.com in 2023, following recent launches from GoDaddy and Bluehost (https://wptavern.com/hosted-woocommerce-solution-coming-to-wordpress-com-in-2023-following-recent-launches-from-godaddy-and-bluehost) – One of the biggest announcements from the event this last week was that WooCommerce is developing its own hosted, turnkey solution in collaboration with hosting partners. WordPress.com will be the first to pilot the product in February 2023. This should be an interesting development to watch unfold!
– Gutenberg 14.2 improves writing flow, adds Kerning Controls for Headings in Global Styles (https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-14-2-improves-writing-flow-adds-kerning-controls-for-headings-in-global-styles) – These are some exciting changes for Gutenberg! One change in particular is the sibling and the line inserters have been updated to use a more natural animation effect with a slightly increased delay to minimize accidental triggers. This also improves selection of multiple blocks, making it smoother and more consistent! Worth checking out!
– Google search crashes when you ask “how many emojis on Apple” (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/technology/google-search-crashes-when-you-ask-how-many-emojis-on-apple/) – What's happening? Google is just timing out when users search for specific terms like ‘How many emojis on IOS', ‘How many emojis on Apple' and ‘How many emojis on Windows'. So now we have a ‘freeze emoji'!! It's thought that this is being caused by one site: 'emojipedia.com' – the issue has since been resolved, but it was rather entertaining to watch Google having issues counting the emoji's available out there.
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
– WordPress 6.1 RC 1 released, ready for testing and translation! (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-6-1-rc-1-released-ready-for-testing-and-translation) – We are now less than 3 weeks until the big release on November 1st! If you are interested, you can check out the features yourself! Some of the features listed are: Block API changes, Block styles generation, Editor Components updates, Simplified data access, and Fluid Font sizes in WordPress 6.1. You can check out show notes to find the link to check it out for yourself!
– 2022 Web Almanac Report finds WordPress Adoption is growing, adds new page builder data (https://wptavern.com/2022-web-almanac-report-finds-wordpress-adoption-is-growing-adds-new-page-builder-data) – Good News for WordPress, better news for developers who specialize in WordPress! For those who like to follow this kind of data, this is very exciting – WordPress has gone up 1.4%, which is a welcome change from downwards trajectory it took last year for a bit.
– Registration now open for WP accessibility day, November 2-3, 2022! (https://wptavern.com/registration-now-open-for-wp-accessibility-day-november-2-3-2022) – This one day virtual event features 24 hours of talks on building accessible websites in WordPress. It is independently organized by volunteers from WordPress' Accessibility Team and other community members. Check out our show notes to find the link to sign up!
– The Week in Ransomware – October 14th 2022 – Bitcoin Trickery (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-week-in-ransomware-october-14th-2022-bitcoin-trickery/) – This week's news is action-packed, with police tricking ransomware into releasing keys to victims calling ransomware operations liars, interesting research on fake adult sites pushing data wipers, TTPs on Black Basta, info on a new Prestige Ransomware targeting Ukraine and Poland, and Magniber ransomware being installed via JavaScript files.
– Police tricks DeadBolt ransomware out of 155 decryption keys (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/police-tricks-deadbolt-ransomware-out-of-155-decryption-keys/) – The Dutch national police, in collaboration with cybersecurity firm Responders.NU, tricked the DeadBolt ransomware gang into handing over 155 decryption keys by faking ransom payments.
– Almost 900 servers hacked using Zimbra zero-day flaw (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/almost-900-servers-hacked-using-zimbra-zero-day-flaw/) – Almost 900 servers have been hacked using critical Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS) vulnerability, which at the time was a zero-day without a patch for nearly 1.5 months.
– Fortinet urges admins to patch bug with public exploit immediately (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fortinet-urges-admins-to-patch-bug-with-public-exploit-immediately/) – Fortinet urges customers to urgently patch their appliances against a critical authentication bypass FortiOS, FortiProxy, and ForisSwitchManager vulnerability exploited in attacks.
– New PHP information-stealing malware targets Facebook accounts (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-php-information-stealing-malware-targets-facebook-accounts/) – A new Ducktail phishing campaign is spreading a never-before-seen Windows information-stealing malware written in PHP used to steal Facebook accounts, browser data, and cryptocurrency wallets.
– Venus Ransomware targets publicly exposed Remote Desktop services (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/venus-ransomware-targets-publicly-exposed-remote-desktop-services/) – Threat actors behind the relatively new Venus Ransomware are hacking into publicly-exposed Remoste Desktop services to encrypt Windows devices.
– What authors want from AI ‘ghostwriters' (https://thenextweb.com/news/authors-want-ai-ghostwriters) – According to their study, an ideal AI writing tool should behave like a human collaborator and that such a tool needs to be aware of the boundaries of human writers and respond by adjusting the level of intervention and writing style accordingly. Also, need to have emotions like a love for writing, creativity, intelligence… lots of stuff that AI isn't capable yet….
…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 Giveawaysfor 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!
Time for the Good Stuff! …
Off we go into the meat and potatoes of plugin depravity…..
WordPress Plugins
————————————————-
John's Plugin
Rememberall
https://wordpress.org/plugins/rememberall/
The Lowdown:
In case you do not get enough emails each day this plugin help you out by adding to it. While that may be a pain this could be useful. What it does is sends an email to the site admin. It helps remind you that you have updates available on your site.
Rating 4 Dragons
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Amber's Plugin
Rewrite Email Address
https://wordpress.org/plugins/rewrite-email-address/
The Lowdown:
This is a useful, totally free, plug and play plugin!
Once activated, it goes through your site and re-writes your email wherever it happens to be to my_email_at_address_dot_com – spelling it out with underscores so that it can't be grabbed up by bots and used against you.
Great additional security feature! Only draw back I can see is that there is no ability to copy and paste for your users.
Rating: 5 Dragons
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John's Plugin
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager
https://wordpress.org/plugins/insert-headers-and-footers/
The Lowdown:
This is an upgrade to the former plugin of insert footers and headers to make life easier for when you need to add code to your headers and footers.
Rating 5 Dragons
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Amber's Plugin
Inactive Login
https://wordpress.org/plugins/inactive-logout/
The Lowdown:
Inactive Login is a great plugin! Once activated, you go to the settings and choose whether or not people will automatically be logged out after a certain amount of time.
Really cool thing about this, is that you can choose a time to log out particular roles – example, you can simply turn it off for the admin's, but set it to 15 minutes of inactivity for everyone else – or just for the authors, but 24 hours for users, etc.
This is very useful, easy to use, and combines well with user role creators like Ultimate Member.
There is a Pro Version, though the free version gives you everything you need.
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
Time Zone Converter
https://wordpress.org/plugins/time-zone-converter/
The lowdown:
If your looking for something to place on your site to help with figuring out time zone. This is a great little addon to help you or your visitors figure out time zones.
Rating 4 Dragons
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Amber's Plugin
WP Login and Logout Redirect
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-login-and-logout-redirect/
The Lowdown:
This plugin is very useful, and SO easy to use! You go in, put down the URL you want people to be redirected to upon Login, and Logout, and you're done.
There are more options in the Pro Version, though for a simple and easy Plugin this is great! Works well, and plays nice with others!
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:
…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!
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: Rememberall – 4, WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager – 5, Time Zone Converter – 4
Amber's Plugins: Rewrite Email Address – 5, Inactive Login – 4, WP Login and Logout Redirect – 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!
- Why do you think so many people don't change the credentials, or simply delete accounts after firing someone?
- After hearing about the hacking and losing of personal information so often, do you think maybe people are just numbed to it, and that's why they don't make harder passwords, and do the protection required?
Remember everyone, we will be coming back to the questions we just read out once we close out the show and the song ends! Stick around until the end to get the answers to these last questions!!!
Questions asked after closing credits:
- What are ‘Decryption Keys', and how do they work?
- What line of work is a decryption key most useful for? Do you use them?
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
