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A Beginners Guide
to Free WordPress
Pluginswith Christina Hills
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What are WordPress Plugins?
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Plugins are like Apps on Your Phone
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Plugin Can Be:
Fun or Functional
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Fun: Falling Snow Plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-super-snow/
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Functional: SEO Plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo
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How Do You Evaluate a Plugin?
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WordPress.org Plugin Directory1
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Inside WordPress Admin2
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Example:
“Image Widget”
Plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/image-widget/
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Find Inside WP & Evaluate
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Look at:
- Version Compatibility
- Active Installs
- Star Ratings
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Look for:
- Screenshots
- FAQ
-Documentation
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Find it on
WordPress.org
https://wordpress.org/plugins/image-widget/
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How Active is the
Support Forum?
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Go to the Plugin
Homepage
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Do They Have a Pro Version?
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Click to Install the Plugin
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REMEMBER to Activate the Plugin!
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See if the Plugin has a
Special Settings Area
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For “Widget” Plugins Go to the Widget Area
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Check the General
“Settings” Area
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Some Plugins Have
Their Own Settings
Area
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Save Your “Favorites” For Faster Install!
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At WordPress.org
Click “Heart” to
Favorite
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What is a Shortcode Plugin?
[ ]
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Plugin Shortcode:
“[“ words in square brackets “]”
[simple-sitemap]
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Sitemap Shortcode: [simple-sitemap] in a Page
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Resulting Page
Created from that
Shortcode
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The FooGallery Shortcode: [foogallery id="133"]
Visual View
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The FooGallery Shortcode: [foogallery id="133"]
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The FooGallery “Photo Album” Displayed
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The Jetpack Plugin
www.Jetpack.com
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www.Jetpack.com/support
Explains all Features
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Tiled Galleries
“Photon” Image Storage
Related Posts
Contact Form
Stats
Security
Monitor Downtime
Social Sharing
Widget Visibility
Extra Sidebar Widgets
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If you are NOT a
developer:
Ignore Instructions that
Involve code!
Just say to yourself:
“This is not for me!”
www.Jetpack.com/support/site-breadcrumbs/
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Always Update
Your Plugins!
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Look for the Orange Circles
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Sometimes Plugins Get “Moldy”
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Watch for Outdated Plugins that have this Warning!
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Use “No Longer in Directory” Plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/no-longer-in-directory/
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When Should You Upgrade to the
Pro Version of a Plugin?
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You Upgrade to the Pro Version
For Support and More Features
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Must Have Plugins List:Backup
Security
Under Construction
Contact form
Duplicate Post
Image Widget
Advanced Image Styles
TinyMCE Advanced
Caching plugin
Redirection plugin
Enhanced Media Library
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Additional Plugins to Consider
SEO
Social Sharing
Social Follow
Related Posts
Contact Form
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Plugin Best Practices:
ALWAYS keep plugins up to date.
Delete plugins you are not using.
Keep the number of plugins at a minimum
Be nice in plugin support forums!
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Graphic courtesy of SixRevisions.com
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Donate to Keep Plugin Authors Happy!
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So Gather Your Army of Plugins
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Connect with Christina Hills
Twitter: @christinahillsEmail: [email protected]