Jetpack 3.3 is now available. The highlight of this release is the new centralized site dashboard feature that allows users to manage multiple Jetpack-connected WordPress sites and WordPress.com sites from one location in WordPress.com. The new dashboard is mobile friendly and includes the centralized posting feature that was introduced in Jetpack 3.2. It also allows…
When Pippin Williamson launched Easy Digital Downloads in early 2012, he could not have predicted the success that the open source project is experiencing today. The core plugin is approaching half a million downloads and recently passed 100 contributors on GitHub. It provides the foundation for a profitable commercial marketplace of more than 190 extensions…
One of the oldest and simplest ways of accessing public opinion is through an up/down voting system. When offered in a controlled setting where everyone has the chance to vote, the system causes the best ideas to float to the top. Idea Factory is a plugin designed to make it easy for WordPress administrators to…
When WordPress 3.0 introduced the ability for developers to register their own custom post types, the software became far more flexible for use as a content management system. This was a major turning point for WordPress, as it gave developers a standard way to structure custom content with core-supported features. Four years later, custom post…
Several plugins are starting to spring up in the WordPress Plugin Directory to bring Google’s new No Captcha reCAPTCHA to WordPress forms. With public hatred for CAPTCHAs at an all-time high, Google finally put its efforts into redesigning the experience, replacing the distorted text with a simple checkbox. WordPress developers have been quick to take…
Developed by Mike Jolley, Download Monitor is an eight year old plugin with over 600k downloads. Download Monitor provides an interface for uploading and managing downloadable files including support for multiple versions, inserting download links into posts, and logging downloads. It has been rewritten 4 times, seen well over 100 releases, and been downloaded 600,000…
Jetpack has been downloaded more than 13 million times. The Contact Form module is one of its most popular features, as nearly every site requires a way for visitors to get in touch. The module is reliable and easy to use but fairly basic in terms of features. Fortunately, Jetpack makes it easy for you…
If you run a WooCommerce store with a lot of products and want a nice way to tell customers whether an item is new, on sale, or sold out, check out the Woo Stickers plugin by Webline. Created by Webline India, Woo Stickers makes it easy to provide visual cues on products. Stickers indicate whether…
When Google Reader was laid to rest on July 1, 2013, many users flocked to Feedly, one of the most popular alternatives. Even if you don’t use Feedly, it’s likely that many of your blog’s readers do. Therefore, if you want a true picture of the number of your RSS subscribers, digging into Feedly’s numbers…
On the Add New plugin page in WordPress 4.0, there are two different tabs to help users discover new plugins: Featured and Popular. What if WordPress could recommend plugins based on the ones you have installed? Thanks to a recent update to the API, users will be able to access a list of recommended plugins…
For the past several years, Google’s reCAPTCHA has verified a user’s humanity by forcing you to decipher warped, nonsensical text. reCAPTCHA’s method of protecting websites from spam has long put the burden on the user to prove that he is not an abusive bot. This is all about to change as a result of Google’s…
If you use the InfiniteWP Client plugin, log into your sites and check for updates. According to Sucuri, versions under 1.3.8 are susceptible to a privilege escalation attack as well as a potential Object Injection Vulnerability. InfiniteWP Client is used to communicate to the Infinite WP service to manage WordPress sites remotely. A malicious individual…
Wedding themes are a highly niche market for what is oftentimes a once-in-a-lifetime event. Consequently, plugins that extend these themes for wedding-specific functionality are not as common as plugins for portfolios, testimonials, recipes, etc. If you develop wedding themes, you may want to check out Bean Registry, a new free plugin created by the folks…
If you’d like to be able to send a quick email from the backend of WordPress, the Quick Mail plugin developed by Mitchell D. Miller, may be the answer. Once activated, you’ll see a Quick Mail link in the Tools Menu. Using the form, you can send a quick email to an individual with the…
Automattic launched Jetpack in March 2011 with the mission to bring WordPress.com features to self-hosted WordPress sites. The plugin has now been downloaded more than 13 million times. It is widely used and even comes installed by default on many hosts that offer a 1-click WordPress installation option. In early 2011, few could have predicted…