AWSOM News Announcement updated to 1.2.2
Some people have reported issues with the AWSOM News Announcement plugin and WordPress 2.2.1, a new version of the plugin is available to correct this issue. Download it from the News Announcement product page.
UPDATE:
To fix an existing error do the following:
Deactivate the old plugin. Delete the older plugin files from your server. move the new plugin files to the server. Activate the new version of the plugin.
If you are experiencing any problems please contact me through the contact form or by posting on the Harknell.com AWSOM support forums.
AWSOM Pixgallery plugin updated to version 4.4.2 SE
It’s been one heck of an update schedule the last few days here, but I have one more update to announce. AWSOM Pixgallery for WordPress has been updated to version 4.4.2 SE (Second Edition). The major addition to this version is Visual Editor support for image and gallery caption entry. You can turn the Visual Editor on or off through the Admin Options Pixgallery menu. You can download the new version from the AWSOM Pixgallery product page at awsom.org.
I’m calling this version 4.4.2 SE because my normal naming convention would be to call it 4.5.0, but that version is already in development and will be out in a few weeks–and I wanted to get this release out immediately. (technically I’d like to call this new version 4.4.1 SE, but most of the tracking sites require an actual update to the number for them to register the release as a new edition, so it’s 4.4.2 for that reason).
As you can see, I try to squeeze into my plugins as many requested features as I can, so keep hitting me with the feedback and feature requests.
AWSOM News Announcement 1.2.0 released
Well, it’s been a busy release weekend with the 2nd release of a plugin update being the new 1.2.0 version of the AWSOM News Annnouncement for WordPress. I’m in the middle of working on the 2.0.0 version of this plugin, but I decided to do a quick release to add in a feature that has had a high request count: Visual Editor functions. Now you can use either regular HTML or the WordPress Visual editor to create your News Announcement. This release has also added in a specific “Is News area active” function to turn the display of your news announcement on or off, added security, and minor bug fixes.
You can download the new version from it’s product page.
AWSOM Drop Down Archive updated to 1.0.2
A new version of the AWSOM Drop Down Archive is now available. 1.0.2 fixes an issue related to improper rss feed collision. It’s available for download from it’s product page.
Social Bookmarking, Good or Bad?
I’m sure by now most of you guys have heard of the major social bookmarking/news websites like digg.com, reddit.com, technorati.com, StumbleUpon.com, etc. In most cases getting a link on the front page from any of these sites can lead to a huge increase in traffic and visibility. That can be a good thing.
My problem with the situation is that it now appears that everyone in the universe is turning into a submission beggar, with “submit me to” buttons filling up most of the page. It’s getting to the ridiculous point where you can have 20+ buttons after every article. I understand that statistically it’s been shown that directly asking readers to do something makes it more likely something will be done, and making it very easy for them to submit your site with an easy to click button makes sense in this context, but I still find it somewhat wrong to have this be the focus of your efforts. It’s almost like reverse advertising, in that as a reader you are being asked to advertise for the site, but in an overly obvious and annoying way. You are no longer the actual audience, but a conduit to the big prize of being featured on a networking site.
There are now articles out there on how to write something that will get you to the front page of those sites. These aren’t “How to write something well” articles, they are “how to push the right buttons to get people to link you” articles, and they seem to me to defeat the purpose of putting things up in the first place: To have good content that has inherent value. Where is the line between spammers and this gaming of the system for traffic? The internet is a big place, that’s true, but I still believe that if you write something well, and it has inherent value, you will be found and gain an audience.
If anyone visiting this site thinks that something I’ve written or released is good enough to share with others and submits it to a networking site on their own, that’s great, I appreciate the sentiment and support. I believe in doing one job though, which is providing the best plugins and content I can, I’m not in the gaming business.