Plugins and themes are the power under WordPress’ hood. Are you using the latest and greatest? In this session you’ll get a rundown of today’s must-have plugins, why they’re important and how to use them. Bonus: In addition I’ll review some free and paid themes that make customization a breeze. Presented at the Minnesota Blogger Conference 2011.

1. Photo: j / f / photos on Flickr

2. Assumptions
• You have great taste in session choice
• You know what a WordPress plugin is
• You know how to install & activate one
• You want to know more about how to
find good ones & which ones can make
your blog better

3. WP Plugin Directory
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

4. However, it’s not all
it seems to be...
Recent investigation of the current state of
the WordPress plugin repository found:
• More than half of the plugins in the
repository are not compatible with
WordPress 3.x.
• Only 32% of those 15,000+ plugins
have been updated in 2011!
Source: http://wpmu.org/what-lurks-in-the-wordpress-plugin-repository/

5. Changes are coming
Plugins not been updated in past two
years will be hidden both in the repository
and in the WP admin plugin search.
- Announced by Matt Mullenweg at WordCamp
San Francisco in August 2011
This is awesome!

6. Do your homework
• Check compatibility,
• When last updated
• Average rating
• Others’ comments/issues

7. A word about
bundled plugins
Akismet
http://akismet.com/wordpress/

8. A word about
bundled plugins
Jetpack
http://jetpack.me/

9. My plugin criteria
• I have used it (or someone I trust has)
• It solves a specific problem
• Proper resource usage (won’t slow
things down)
• Updated/supported
• Easy to use/configure
• Free (mostly)

10. Essential plugins
#1 - EZPZ One Click Backup
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ezpz-one-click-backup/

11. Related plugin
VaultPress (Paid)
http://vaultpress.com/

12. Essential plugins
#2 - Contact Form 7
http://contactform7.com/

13. Essential plugins
#2 - Contact Form 7
http://contactform7.com/

14. Essential plugins
Contact Form 7 reCAPTCHA Extension
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7-recaptcha-extension/

15. Related plugin
Gravity Forms (Paid)
http://www.gravityforms.com/

16. Essential plugins
#3 - After the Deadline
http://www.afterthedeadline.com/

17. Essential plugins
#4 - Yet Another Related Posts Plugin
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/yet-another-related-posts-plugin/

18. Essential plugins
#5 - WPtouch
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/

19. Related plugin
WPtouch Pro (Paid)
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/

20. Essential plugins
#6 (Tie) - ShareThis
http://sharethis.com/

21. Essential plugins
#6 (Tie) - ShareThis
http://sharethis.com/

22. Essential plugins
#6 (Tie) - ShareThis
http://sharethis.com/

23. Essential plugins
#6 (Tie) - AddThis
http://www.addthis.com/

24. Essential plugins
#6 (Tie) - Sharebar
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/sharebar/

25. Essential plugins
#7 - FV Simpler SEO
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/fv-all-in-one-seo-pack/

26. Essential plugins
#7 - FV Simpler SEO
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/fv-all-in-one-seo-pack/

27. Essential plugins
#8 - Slidedeck (Free & paid)
http://www.slidedeck.com/

28. Essential plugins
#8 - Slidedeck free version
http://www.slidedeck.com/

29. Essential plugins
#8 - Slidedeck (Paid)
http://www.slidedeck.com/

30. Essential plugins
#8 - Slidedeck (Paid)
http://www.slidedeck.com/

31. Essential plugins
#9 - Google Analyticator
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-analyticator/

32. Essential plugins
#10 - Search Unleashed
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/search-unleashed/

33. Essential plugins
#10 - Search Unleashed
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/search-unleashed/

34. Essential plugins
#11 - Exclude Pages
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/exclude-pages/

35. Essential plugins
#11 - Exclude Pages
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/exclude-pages/

36. Essential plugins
#12 - Google Calendar Events
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-calendar-events/

37. Essential plugins
#12 - Google Calendar Events
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-calendar-events/

38. Essential plugins
#13 - FeedBurner FeedSmith
http://www.google.com/support/feedburner/bin/answer.py?
hl=en&answer=78483&ctx=cb&src=cb&cbid=-1adh3dwxzdmhr&cbrank=2

39. Essential plugins
#14 - Tweet Blender
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/tweet-blender/

40. Essential plugins
#14 - Tweet Blender
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/tweet-blender/

41. Essential plugins
#15 - Maintenance Mode
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/maintenance-mode/

42. Photo: Adam Holloway on Flickr

43. WP Free Themes Directory
http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/
• Not very helpful
• Hard to determine quality

44. Get recommendations
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/07/05/free-wordpress-themes-2011-edition/

45. Anatomy of a great theme
• Customizable - can add your own logo,
color scheme, change layout, etc.
• Flexible - can handle a variety of
different post types
• Adaptable - can grow with your needs
• Ongoing support and upgrades

46. Mix of free & paid themes
Graph Paper Press
http://graphpaperpress.com/

47. Mix of free & paid themes
NattyWP
http://www.nattywp.com/

48. Premium/paid themes
StudioPress
http://www.studiopress.com/

49. Premium/paid themes
Thesis Theme Framework
http://diythemes.com/

50. Premium/paid themes
Thesis Theme Framework
http://diythemes.com/

51. Premium/paid themes
Headway Themes
http://headwaythemes.com

52. Premium/paid themes
Headway Themes
http://headwaythemes.com

53. Premium/paid themes
Headway Themes
http://headwaythemes.com

54. Thank
you!
Mykl Roventine
designer of things
myklroventine.com
@myklroventine