Comments on: WordPress plugins on davidairey.com

By: David Airey

David Airey — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 09:39:54 +0000

No problem, Arielle. I was using a plugin for the Twitter button, but replaced it a few weeks back with some simpler code lifted directly from the Twitter site. Here's the link, but you might need to be logged-in to view it: https://twitter.com/goodies/tweetbutton

By: Arielle

Arielle — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 08:28:34 +0000

Hi David,

Thanks so much for the post! I’m using almost all of these plugins now.

I noticed you also have a Twitter plugin similar to the Facebook Like Widget. What is that one called?

Thanks,
Arielle

By: David Airey

David Airey — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:16:00 +0000

Hello Paul, a WordPress site can look however you want it to. The coding for my theme was minimal (given the minimal design). I set it myself, and my web skills are far from a competent. My very first custom theme was created using the tutorials at wpdesigner.com. That site has since changed hands, however, so I’m unsure if the guide is still there.

By: Paul Charles Fisher

Paul Charles Fisher — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 20:49:53 +0000

Hi David,
I recently published my own blog using my own PHP files, mostly because I wanted to have complete control over the look and feel of my website (i.e., my own header and footer). I was under the mistaken impression that a WordPress blog would necessitate taking the visitor to another site (i.e., WordPress). However, when I discovered your site, I found out that you in fact use WordPress!
Did you have to do a lot of programming (or hire a programmer) to seamlessly incorporate the WordPress blog into your site?
Do you have any recommendations regarding this subject?
Cheers,
Paul

By: David Airey

David Airey — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:07:04 +0000

No worries, Hank. Thanks for the analytics recommendation. One to test. I like the redesign of your blog. The grass-blades (was it?) served you well, I’m sure, but I know what it’s like wanting to ring the changes. The copyright text in the footer looks a little out, but perhaps that’s intentional (I’m using FF on a Mac).

By: hank

hank — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:38:14 +0000

Thanks for the list David, I was glad to see that I have a lot of those already. I think I might get some of those SEO plugins going though, and maybe switch to Feedburner too. Postpost is something I've been looking for too, so that's great.

"Google Analytics is great, but it’s too much for getting a quick look at where site visitors are coming from."

I recently added Wordpress Google Analytics Reports, which puts some of your GA data into the dashboard. So far it's proven reasonably useful (though I use WP stats as well). Liking the design refresh by the way. I've just given my blog a bit of a sprucing up and have gone similarly minimal. Would love any feedback there (more posts is the first thing I need to focus on I think).

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:03:33 +0000

Thank you so much for this, very helpful.

By: David Airey

David Airey — Tue, 25 May 2010 09:22:30 +0000

I've just updated the post mentioning a new plugin — the TweetMeme Button. Not sure why I hadn't tested it before, but we'll see how it goes. So far so good (except over on LDL where I can't get the button to sit on the same line as the Facebook Like Widget. Still, looks helpful.

By: paul

paul — Sun, 23 May 2010 17:42:40 +0000

I hate cforms, it’s really a pain to create forms. For simple forms I use Contact Form 7, and for more complex ones, ideally Gravity Forms but it’s not free.
For page navigation, WP Page Navi.
Also, I think your caching plugin is outdated? You should be using Hyper Cache + db cache reloaded or W3 Total Cache

By: David Airey

David Airey — Sun, 23 May 2010 14:32:28 +0000

Thanks for the comments, folks. I’m back in blogging action after a short hiatus, and it was good to read your contributions.

Rob, I’ve not seen a tutorial for adding the Twitter field without a plugin, but if you come across one, please do share it. You’re right not to want to overload with plugins, although I’ve found that my small selection doesn’t prove a drawback with hosting resources.

Ian, I’m unsure what the All in One SEO did for existing headings/titles etc., mainly because I’ve had it installed for so long, and wasn’t clued-in enough to check at the time. It’s quite useful, though.

Doug, seems like you’re having WP issues that I’ve not encountered (with para breaks, etc.).

Ricardo, should you go ahead and buy a copy, it’d be great to know what you think once you’ve finished reading. Thanks for the compliment.

Scott, you’re right — there are a ton of unnecessary plugins out there, and so many I’ve tried for less than a day before ditching. Good luck with your own WP blog.

Dan, I like the idea of thumbnails showing alongside “recent posts.” Not for this blog — given that I recently removed the “recent” list — but for Logo Design Love. Thanks for the suggestion.

Paul, do you know if the Google Analyticator plugin needs many resources to work? I’m often curious just how much the WP Stats plugin draws upon page load times (I’ve really no idea), and I guess anything to do with Google Analytics will prove more of a drain. Sounds good, though. Worth looking into.

Laura, you’re very welcome. At the time of writing, these are the plugins you can actually see working here:

Related Posts
Page Numbers
Twitip ID
Facebook Like Widget
cforms II
Highlight Author Comments
Subscribe To Comments

All excellent, too.

Tjeerd, I generate backups through my web hosts, and not through a WP plugin, but I’ve often wondered if it’s easier to switch over. Much appreciated.

Josh, Zach, I’ll definitely look into Woopra and the Editorial Calendar, thanks guys.