1. Front-end Editor

The Front-end Editor plugin allows you to make changes without having to go to the WordPress built-in editor. It’s a great tool if you have already created and published your blog and just want to make quick edits. It’s great for making edits that do not require any significant changes. However, it’s not really a standalone-type of editor. It’s more to use alongside another one. It doesn’t have any additional features to add to the WordPress built-in editor, but it is nice to have something that doesn’t require you to go to the WordPress administrative area.

2. TinyMCE Advanced

The TinyMCE Advanced plugin adds 16 buttons to the WordPress built-in editor. One of the great things about it is that it’s easy to drag-and-drag the buttons in and out of the window. Therefore, you are able to choose what buttons to have accessible to you when creating or editing a post. You are also able to add your current theme’s CSS stylesheet, so you are able to visualize how the post will look like when you are done.

3.  Dean’s FCKEditor For Wordpress

Dean’s FCKEditor For Wordpress plugin enhances your WordPress built-in editor by providing desktop-word-processing-type of editor. Out of all the editors, this one has the most functionality. Other than the basic word processing features: formatting, styles, find/replace, printing, etc, it comes with a built-in file and upload manager. In addition, it integrates well with the WordPress default media manager and also allows you to insert flash movie and smiley icons into your post.

The plugin also provides you three templates that help in creating your blog posts. It’s definitely worth looking at, if you don’t want to download a desktop blog editor.

4.  WP Super Edit

Just like the above-mentioned plugins, the WP Super Edit plugin allows you to add plenty of additional functionality to your default text editor. Like TinyMCE Advacned, it allows you to add extra buttons (and hence more functionality) to your toolbar. What is more important is that it provides a way for you to arrange your toolbar according to the user role. Now, you can restrict your subscriber or contributor to only a limited set of toolbar while the author or users with higher level of permission to access to the full range of functionality.

In addition, there are also a whole lot of useful HTML tags (like DIV, STYLE, TABLE etc) that you can use in your post. This is particularly useful for coders/developers.

WP Super Edit allows bloggers to control the editor better than the other two. Additionally, it has more features than the other two. However, it can be tedious adding buttons and arranging them in a way that makes sense. It would be easier if they start with all the buttons, and allow users to remove the ones they do not need.

5. Custom TinyMCE

The Custom TinyMCE plugin provides the same type of functionality as the WP Super Edit and TinyMCE Advanced plugins.  However, it lacks the flexibility that the latter provides bloggers. You are able to go into the administrative panel and check the check boxes of the buttons you would like to appear in the your editor. It’s much easier to navigate in that aspect.

However, if you choose the majority or all of the buttons, instead of going to two or more lines, they are just kept in one line. This causes a visual problem because you will have to search for the functionality you are seeking. Furthermore, it also disappears behind the sidebar. It’s a good plugin if you want to add a couple of more buttons to your editor. If you want to add more than that, then this plugin is not for you.

What other WordPress plugins do you use to enhance your text-editor?

Five WYSIWYG Plugins to Enhance the WordPress Built-In Editor originally published on Make Tech Easier (RSS)

1. Co-Authors Plus

Co-Authors Plus allows a blogging team to assign a blog post (or even a page) to more than one author. It has a search-as-you-type input box that makes it easier to find the authors. This is a great tool because you do not have to know how to write their full name. After installing the plugin, you use template tags to allow the listing of the multiple authors. These are the allowed template tags:

• coauthors()
• coauthors_posts_links()
• coauthors_firstnames()
• coauthors_lastnames()
• coauthors_nicknames()
• coauthors_links()
• coauthors_IDs()

These posts will appear on the authors’ posts and feeds. It’s great because it provides blogging teams with many authors to have an easier way to find the desired authors. However, it’s a little difficult for people who do not know how to code.

To find out more information or download the Co-Authors Plus plugin, please visit: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/co-authors-plus/

2. WT Co-Authors

WT Co-Authors allows multiple authors in a different way than the previous plugin. It uses WordPress custom fields to show more than one authors. The custom name field to use is “coauthor.” The value will be the user’s name. There is no maximum in the amount of authors used. You have to ensure that the WordPress theme that you are using has “the_author()” function. If it doesn’t, you will have to manually add

if(function_exists(wt_the_coauthors_link)):
wt_the_coauthors_link();
endif;

It’s an easier way to show collaboration; however, it does not fully use the WordPress role functionality, so Administrators and/or Editors can assign Authors to one blog post.

To find out more information or download the WT Co-Authors plugin, please visit: http://anime2.kokidokom.net/all-team-blogs-attention-the-ultimate-mega-super-awesome-co-authors-plugin-is-here/

3. SP Authors

SP Authors provides a simple way of allowing multiple authors to be assigned to a blog post (or a page). After installing the plugin, you will se a new area that provides a way to manually enter the author’s name. It also has a drop-down menu of all the authors, if you are not sure how to spell their names. Another great feature is if you place the short code [sp-authors], you are able to show a list of the particular’s authors links of other blog posts that he/she has written.

SP Authors is the simplest plugin to use to collaborate among multiple authors in a single blog post. However, the drop-down menu might be overwhelming if you have many authors.

To find out more information or download the SP Authors plugin, please visit: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/sp-authors/

If you have a blogging team, one of these plugins will really give you the flexibility of allowing multiple authors to colloborate on a single blog posts. This is especially useful in a complex post that allows you to assign different sections to various authors.

3 Useful Plugins For Multiple Authors Collaboration originally published on Make Tech Easier (RSS)

Smartphones are becoming one of the main ways that people are using to browse sites. People are using them as a computer, telephone, camera, MP3 player, game system, etc. They provide flexibility and mobility when you are constantly on the move. Due to the increasing demand for smartphones, companies and individuals are having to ensure that their sites and blogs are mobile-friendly. If you are using WordPress to power your blog or site, there is a plugin that does the work for you. It’s called MobilePress.

What is MobilePress?

MobilePress is a WordPress plugin that uses customized themes to allow your WordPress blog or site to be viewable via smartphones. It also allows developers to create their own custom mobile themes if they do not want to use the ones provided. Mobile SEO is another feature that detects Google and Yahoo mobile search bots. The bots will use the mobile version of your blog/site, which will help with optimization on Google and Yahoo.

How do I install it?

• If you are using WordPress 2.7 or higher, you are able to search for the MobilePress plugin on the plugin search page and automatically install it.
• If you don’t, then you can click this link: Download MobilePress here
  - Upload mobilepress.1.0.4.zip file into the /wp-content/plugins/ directory.
  - Login to your WordPress admin page, click Plugins -> Installed. Look for MobilePress, and click the Activate link.

How do I customize it?

After installing the MobilePress plugin, go to MobilePress->Options.

• If you want the mobile search bots to show a different title and description for your blog/site, then enter them in Blog Title and Blog Description. If not, then leave them blank.
• For Force Mobile Site?, leave it at the default, if you only want mobile sites to pick up the mobile theme.  If you want normal web browsers and smartphones to pick up the mobile theme alike, then change it to “Yes.” It’s best to leave it at “No.”
• For Treat iPhone as a web browser, Treat Windows smartphone as a web browser, Treat Opera Mini as a web browser,  leave it at the default if you only want the mobile theme to be displayed on the smartphone. If you want the regular web version of your blog/site to be displayed on your smartphone, change the appropriate one to “Yes.” As above, it’s best to leave on the default “No.”

How do I choose the mobile theme that I want?

After choosing your options, go to MobilePress->Themes.

Choose the mobile theme you want, and press the Select! button.

What if I want to use my own mobile theme?

Upload your mobile theme to the /wp-content/plugins/mobilepress/themes/ directory. It will then appear in the MobilePress theme selector. You will now be able to use your custom mobile theme.

How to Make Your WordPress Blog Mobile-Friendly Using MobilePress originally published on Make Tech Easier (RSS)

What is Zemanta?

Zemanta provides a way to enhance your blog posts by searching for keywords within your posts and suggesting related content. Additionally, Zemanta suggests post tags that you can use, so that it’s easier for search engines to index your posts, or readers to find content within your site.

Zemanta helps alleviate plagiarism because all of the material is free to use or links back to the original.  Zemanta also works with Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. If you are writing e-newsletters, this provides a way to enrich your newsletters, so that your readers want to continue their subscriptions. It’s point-and-click approach is a timesaver that gives you more time to think up more blog posts or e-newsletter items. According to their site, they have access to over 5-million pictures, 5-million articles, and 10-million related content. Therefore, there are plenty of items to use.

What does Zemanta work with?

Below is a diagram of what apps work with Zemanta, and what kind of content Zemanta brings in:

You can also register with Zemanta, so that you are able to bring in user-defined content from different sites (e.g. Twitter, Mashable, Facebook, etc.). Zemanta allows you to input your Amazon Associates ID, so you can link to books, cds, and any other product on the Amazon affiliate system. If you click on the “My Stuff” image, you will only search through this content. When you unclick it, you are able to search the entire Zemanta database.

How can I use Zemanta?

There are four ways to use Zemanta:

1. Browser Add-On – Zemanta can be added on Firefox or Internet Explorer.  Whenever you open your blogging platform, regardless of which one it is, Zemanta will open up and allow you to add related content to your blog. If you use the add-on and use Gmail or Yahoo! Mail, Zemanta adds an “Add Zemanta” button in your Compose box, so you can also enhance your emails or e-newsletters.
2. Bookmarklet – If you are using one of the other browsers or don’t feel like using the add-on, you can add the bookmarklet instead. When you press it, it will provide the same interface, like the add-on.
3. Live Writer Plugin – For Live Writer users, the Zemanta plugin enhances the application to better help you write your blog posts.
4. Server-Side Plugin – You can download plugins for either WordPress, MovableType, or Drupal. It works just like the browser add-on and bookmarklet.  However, you are not able to use it within your email.

I am still not convinced.  Can I test it out?

Zemanta has an interactive demo that allows you to input text, and see how Zemanta can work for you.

Enhance Your Blog Posts and E-Newsletter With Zemanta originally published on Make Tech Easier (RSS)

What this plugin does?

The WordPress Widget Changer plugin adds a dynamic widget to your sidebar. You can configure it to show a specific widget for a specific page/post. In the front page, the dynamic widget will not show anything. There is only the static sidebar. However, when a specific page/post is loaded, the widget that you specified will also appear on the sidebar.

Benefit of this plugin?

This plugin allows you to micromanage your ad or the information that you want to show to your readers. You can now display a targeted ad to a specific post that you have written.

For more information on this plugin, check out the plugin homepage or download the plugin here.

New WordPress Plugin: WP Widget Changer originally published on Make Tech Easier (RSS)

Popup itself is not a annoying; it is how you use it that causes annoyance. If you control the frequency of the popup and show it only when you have an important message to tell your readers, then popup itself will be a useful tool.

I have been a strong believer in popup window as it has helped me to boost my sales, increase my subscriber base for countless time. However, when I look around WordPress plugin repository for popup plugin, there are only a limited few. So here I have created a popup plugin that is highly versatile and fully customizable – WordPress Popup Scheduler.

What it does?

This popup plugin is fully customizable and can be used for all kind of situation. As its name implies, this plugin allows you to schedule your popup to show as and when you like.

You can use it:

1. to thank your new visitor for reading your blog.
2. to welcome back your returned readers and invite them to subscribe to your feed
3. to make new announcement to your readers
4. to use during campaign to boost results

Scheduling of Popup

You can choose to display a popup:

• at all time
• when a new visitor visited your blog
• when your readers returned to your blog for the second, third of fourth time
• or for a specified period of time.

In addition, you can set it to show:

• on the home page only
• on visitor landing page
• or specify your own page

Customizable

You can also customize it to suit your blog theme. Things that you can customize include:

• Width of the popup
• background color
• popup headline
• popup message (with the ability to insert image)
• the animation effect of the popup

Popup effect

If you think that popup is too annoying for your readers, you can choose to display the popup as a message before (or after) your first post. Else, you can choose a the following animation effect:

• simple popup
• drop down
• fade in

Download the WordPress Popup Scheduler Plugin here.

The demo here

Current version: 1.2.5.2

Please check out the plugin support page for more detail
(Note: this plugin requires cookie and javascript to be enabled on your visitors browser.)

WordPress Plugin: Scheduling Popup And Get Your Message Across originally published on Make Tech Easier (RSS)