Here is a quick tip for those looking to use the Amazon short link service (AMZN.COM) with affiliate links. Of course you can always paste the long URL into something like the Google URL Shortener but since we recently had a client who insisted on using Amazon, we thought we’d share.

Long Amazon Affiliate URL

Most Amazon affiliate URLs look something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1616084731/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dpx-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1616084731

Shorter Amazon Affiliate URL

We can take that long link, get rid of some of the mess at the end, change the /gp/ to /dp/, keep the Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) and our affiliate tag and we end up with something much shorter:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1616084731/?tag=dpx-20

Shortest Amazon Affiliate URL

To go even shorter we can replace the long Amazon URL with the short URL and remove the /dp/ entirely:

http://amzn.com/1616084731/?tag=dpx-20

Readable is a free skin for the Thesis Theme framework for WordPress designed and custom coded by yours truly.

It stays true to the nature of Thesis by keeping a clean layout, providing simple typography and remaining clutter-free. If you choose to download it, I expect it to stay that way.

Readable Features

• Clean, readable layout.
• 3-column widgetized footer.
• Social sharing buttons built-in (Twitter, Facebook and Google+).
• Uses the WordPress 3.0+ menu system.
• Supports drop-down menus.
• Supports post thumbnails (featured image).
• Full-width page template support (No Sidebars).
• Pre-packaged shortcodes.
• Compatible with all modern browsers including: IE7, IE8, Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera.
• Optional: Installation and Customization Service.

Readable Support

Since Readable is a free skin, if you notice anything broken or wonky, contact me and I’ll fix it ASAP.

I’m also offering paid extended support options for those that need it.

Making Readable Better

If you have feature suggestions please don’t hesitate to contact me. If there is enough demand, I’ll keep adding and refining.

What is Simple URLs?

Simple URLs is a complete URL management plugin that takes advantage of custom post types and uses 301 redirects to achieve its goals. It allows you to track and shorten links; especially long, ugly affiliate links.

It simply adds a new custom post type to your WordPress Admin menu, where you can create, edit, delete, and manage URLs. It uses custom fields to store click counts so scalability is fantastic.

The URL structure that is created uses /go/ (e.g. http://yourdomain.com/go/something)

How to use the Simple URLs plugin

Simply install the plugin and navigate to Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes (you don’t need to change anything, just save).

You should now have a Simple URLs menu item below your Pages menu item in the WordPress Admin. From there you can create, manage and view clicks on as many URLs as you’d like to add.

Simple URLs plugin Support

If you’re getting a 404 Not Found error when trying to access your new URLs, chances are you forgot to navigate to Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes (you don’t need to change anything, just save).

All other support questions can be directed towards the WordPress.org support forums.

Simple URLs plugin review

Most affiliate link masking plugins use page based redirects that can cause permalink conflicts and performance issues. Simple URLs uses custom post types and 301 redirects so scalability and performance are priority. Highly recommended.

WordPress does not add custom post types to author archive pages by default. In fact, it doesn’t add pages as well. It only displays posts from the author in question.

By manipulating the pre_get_posts action we can add any custom post type we want to the author archive pages.

Adding Post Types Using pre_get_posts

First we need to open our themes functions.php file (custom_functions.php for Thesis users) and add the following:

function custom_post_author_archive($query) {
    if ($query->is_author)
        $query->set( 'post_type', array('wp_plugin_review', 'client', 'post') );
    remove_action( 'pre_get_posts', 'custom_post_author_archive' );
}
add_action('pre_get_posts', 'custom_post_author_archive');

That will make sure all normal posts as well as “wp_plugin_review” and “client” custom post types will show up on author archive pages.

If you want to add pages to the author archive page you can do the following instead:

function custom_post_author_archive($query) {
    if ($query->is_author)
        $query->set( 'post_type', array('post', 'page') );
    remove_action( 'pre_get_posts', 'custom_post_author_archive' );
}
add_action('pre_get_posts', 'custom_post_author_archive');

WordPress Tag Cloud Widget

There are plenty of ways of adding a custom widget, or hacking WordPress core files to achieve what I needed but that isn’t very efficient; especially when it comes time to update the WordPress install.

Instead, I took advantage of filters, specifically widget_tag_cloud_args. You can find the different parameters for the wp_tag_cloud in the Codex since that’s what we’ll be working with here.

Open up your themes functions.php file (custom_functions.php for Thesis users) and add the following:

Changing the Smallest and Largest Font Sizes

By default, the tag cloud displays tags by point (pt); the smallest being 8pt and the largest being 22pt. Let’s change that to 10px and 18px respectively:

function custom_tag_cloud_widget($args) {
	$args['largest'] = 18; //largest tag
	$args['smallest'] = 10; //smallest tag
	$args['unit'] = 'px'; //tag font unit
	return $args;
}
add_filter( 'widget_tag_cloud_args', 'custom_tag_cloud_widget' );

Changing the Total Number of Tags to Display

By default the WordPress tag cloud only shows 45 tags. We can change that to display a specific number or all tags by adding the following to the function we added above:

function custom_tag_cloud_widget($args) {
	$args['number'] = 0; //adding a 0 will display all tags
	$args['largest'] = 18; //largest tag
	$args['smallest'] = 10; //smallest tag
	$args['unit'] = 'px'; //tag font unit
	return $args;
}
add_filter( 'widget_tag_cloud_args', 'custom_tag_cloud_widget' );

Changing the Tag Cloud Format

By default the tag cloud displays tags in a flat format seperated by whitespace. Let’s change that to an unordered list with a class of wp-tag-cloud:

function custom_tag_cloud_widget($args) {
	$args['number'] = 0; //adding a 0 will display all tags
	$args['largest'] = 18; //largest tag
	$args['smallest'] = 10; //smallest tag
	$args['unit'] = 'px'; //tag font unit
	$args['format'] = 'list'; //ul with a class of wp-tag-cloud
	return $args;
}
add_filter( 'widget_tag_cloud_args', 'custom_tag_cloud_widget' );

Exclude Tags from the Tag Cloud

We can also exclude tags from showing up in the tag cloud by adding the following:

function custom_tag_cloud_widget($args) {
	$args['number'] = 0; //adding a 0 will display all tags
	$args['largest'] = 18; //largest tag
	$args['smallest'] = 10; //smallest tag
	$args['unit'] = 'px'; //tag font unit
	$args['format'] = 'list'; //ul with a class of wp-tag-cloud
	$args['exclude'] = array(20, 80, 92); //exclude tags by ID
	return $args;
}
add_filter( 'widget_tag_cloud_args', 'custom_tag_cloud_widget' );

Add Custom Taxonomies to the Tag Cloud

By default the tag cloud only shows the post_tag taxonomy. Let’s also add a custom taxonomy called ‘ingredients’:

function custom_tag_cloud_widget($args) {
	$args['number'] = 0; //adding a 0 will display all tags
	$args['largest'] = 18; //largest tag
	$args['smallest'] = 10; //smallest tag
	$args['unit'] = 'px'; //tag font unit
	$args['format'] = 'list'; //ul with a class of wp-tag-cloud
	$args['exclude'] = array(20, 80, 92); //exclude tags by ID
	$args['taxonomy'] = array('post_tag', 'ingredients'); //add post tags and ingredients taxonomy
	return $args;
}
add_filter( 'widget_tag_cloud_args', 'custom_tag_cloud_widget' );

Pretty simple, no? Let us know if you need any help in the comments below.

What is jQuery Image Lazy Load?

The jQuery image lazy load WordPress plugin uses a jQuery plugin called Lazy Load to delay the loading of images in (long) pages. Images below the fold (far down in the page) wont be loaded before the user scrolls down. When the user does scroll down the images fade-in very nicely.

This is opposite of image preloading. Using lazy load on long pages containing heavy image content makes pages faster. Good for SEO, good for users.

How to use the jQuery Image Lazy Load plugin

Simply install the plugin and you’re good to go. No options or settings, it just works out of box.

jQuery Image Lazy Load plugin Support

There shouldn’t be any issues since the plugin is very simple and does only one thing but should you need help (or have conflicting JavaScript issues), you can leave a comment on the authors page or the WordPress.org forum.

jQuery Image Lazy Load plugin review

I use this on all my sites whether or not they are image heavy. It reduces load time and gives a neat, subtle fade-in effect that I like.

What is Regenerate Thumbnails?

Regenerate Thumbnails allows you to regenerate all thumbnails, individual thumbnails or specific multiple thumbnails for your WordPress image attachments. Wonderful if you’ve changed any of your thumbnail dimensions (via Settings -> Media) after previously uploading images or have added new image sizes via the add_image_size function.

How to use the Regenerate Thumbnails plugin

There are essentially 3 options: you can regenerate all thumbnails via the link under Tools in your WordPress dashboard, regenerate individual thumbnails by hovering over images in the Media Library or select multiple images in the Media Library to regenerate thumbnails.

Regenerate Thumbnails plugin Support

In the off chance there is a conflict with this plugin you can always use the WordPress Support Forms to submit a question as the author seems quite active there.

Regenerate Thumbnails plugin review

It does one thing, and it does it well. It’s an absolute lifesaver for older blogs with hundreds or thousands of posts where a new image size is introduced and needs older post images to conform.

It’s simple, lightweight and I highly recommend it.

What is the WP101 Tutorial Plugin?

The WP101 Tutorial Plugin provides professional, HD-quality “WordPress 101″ video tutorials straight to your WordPress dashboard. It’s targeted towards WordPress designers, developers and consultants and has been expertly coded (to be lightweight and standards compliant) by WordPress lead developer, Mark Jaquith.

It was created from the WP101 online video series by Shawn Hesketh.

It is currently priced at $24/month but will soon increase to $48/month (according to this tweet, the price will not go up to $48/month and remain at $24/month). This will get you a licensed API key that allows installation on an unlimited number of sites. It’s also completely white-labeled, so no WP101 logos or branding to confuse your clients.

Videos are constantly being updated to show the latest and greatest WordPress has to offer.

A Sample Video

How to use the WP101 Tutorial Plugin

Simple. Subscribe to the monthly service and receive your API license key instantly. Then install the plugin, enter your API key and you’re good to go. You can find the tutorials listed under the Dashboard tab.

WP101 Tutorial Plugin Support

The plugin is very simple and straight forward so there shouldn’t ever be a need for support. However the developers are extremely active in the WordPress community so updates (if need be) should come rather quickly. You can also contact Shawn, email him directly or shout at them via Twitter should you have any issues.

WP101 Tutorial Plugin Review

The plugin is clearly for WordPress designers, developers and consultants only as it doesn’t make sense for normal users trying to learn WP; at $48/month (that’s $576 per year) it just isn’t worth it.

For those users there is the WP101 online video series which is a much better deal at a one-time fee of either $19, $39 or $79.

Overall the plugin is fantastic at what it does. If you have clients that need a little WordPress intro/intermediate help, I highly recommend it.

What is WordTwit Pro?

WordTwit Pro is a premium WordPress plugin which aims to provide powerful Twitter features to your WordPress website. It allows you to auto-publish new posts to Twitter via a widget on the post/page editing screen. It supports multiple Twitter accounts, manual editing, scheduling with delay, recent/popular hashtags, Tweet log and more.

How to use the WordTwit Pro plugin

Simply install the plugin, add as many Twitter accounts as you’d like (setup your URL shortener of choice. I use Bitly), and attach your purchase licence.

There are a few options you can configure as well; see them below:

WordTwit Pro Options

The custom Twitter Application settings allow you to link your Twitter App (if you setup Twitter @Anywhere this should already be done) to WordTwit Pro so it will Tweet on behalf of your company, name or website, like so (see the “via Designpx.com”):

Twitter Custom App

I’ve also setup Bitly to use my custom short URL.

WordTwit Pro Scheduling

Of course, you can manually override any option, add information and hashtags to the tweets, etc. on a post-by-post or page-by-page basis.

It even remembers which mode you prefer (manual or automatic) and keeps a list of common hashtags.

My favorite is the ability to publish the Tweet × number of times and set a delay between Tweets. It’ll even register a new short link for each Tweet to comply with Twitters rules and give the ability to track which Tweet did better.

Very slick.

WordTwit Pro plugin Support

Since WordTwit Pro is a paid premium plugin, the suppost is top notch. Every customer has access to an active forum that will get your issues (should you have any) resolved usually within an hour or two.

WordTwit Pro plugin review

The plugin works beautifully and looks stunning. My only complaint is the settings area uses some heavy Ajax that slows the admin down when using it (should just use the standard WordPress look and feel) and the licence system BraveNewCode uses seems broken.

There is a developers license that allows you to use the plugin on client sites but it lists all the sites you have the plugin licensed to with the ability to disable or remove site licenses. Not cool.

It should just ask for an API key. Once entered it should be licensed and no other information should be shown. Ever.

Other than that minor detail, the plugin is solid and I highly recommend it.

For those not interested in the Pro options, there is a free version of WordTwit in the WordPress Plugin Directory.

Google is highlighting content creators in their search results and setting up your WordPress blog to make sure Google pulls and associates all the correct information is a fairly straight forward and simple process. The Authorship markup video above by Matt Cutts and Othar Hansson outlines how to connect content authors with their content using authorship markup but we’ll go over some WordPress specific ways in this post.

Below, you can see how the results look for the post, “Google Gives Authors Greater Recognition in Search Results,” by Mashables Ben Parr:

Google is Highlighting Authors with a Google+ Image and Profile Link

How It Works: 3 Important Links

In order for Google to correctly associate your blog articles with your Google+ profile you need to have 3 very specific links setup:

1. A link from your blog post to your WordPress author archive page using rel="author"
2. A link from your WordPress author archive page to your Google+ profile using rel="me"
3. A link from you Google+ profile page to your WordPress author archive using rel="me"

Technically you can use any page as your author page as long as it has a link back to your Google+ profile page using rel="me" and it’s not a freely hosted domain such as Blogger or WordPress.com.

Add rel="author" to Blog Posts

This link will tell Google about the authorship of posts, articles and pages on the domain you attach it to. If your WordPress blog has multiple authors, each author will have a link on their posts to their author archive page that lists all post written by that author. That link is where you want to add the rel="author" attribute.

If you are the only author on your blog you don’t have to link to your author archive page, you can link to your about page instead.

The vast majority of WordPress themes list the author of a post in what’s called the byline (usually right below the post title or at the end of the post) and that’s where we want to add rel="author".

Open up your single.php file (or equivalent) and find the byline section. It looks something like this:

<p class="byline">Written by <a class="vcard url fn author" rel="author" href="http://yoursite.com/author/name" title="Posts By Author"><?php the_author(); ?></a></p>

Add rel="author" to Navigation Menu Links

WordPress Screen Options

To do this, go to the Menus page in your WordPress admin and click on the Screen Options tab. Then make sure the “Link Relationship (XFN)” option is checked.

Check the "Link Relationship (XFN)" box

Then edit your navigation menu to include author for your About page. This will automatically add rel="author" to the link.

Add "author" to the <em>Link Relationship (XFN)</em> section.

Add rel="author" to Author Bylines For Thesis Users

If you’re a Thesis theme user, you can open up your custom_functions.php file and add the following code:

function custom_headline_catcher() {
	ob_start();
}
function custom_headline_catcher_end() {
	global $thesis_design;
	if ($thesis_design->display['byline']['author']['nofollow'])
		$output = str_replace( 'rel="nofollow"', 'rel="nofollow author"', ob_get_contents() );
	else
		$output = str_replace( 'class="url fn"', 'class="url fn" rel="author"', ob_get_contents() );
	ob_end_clean();
	echo $output;
}
add_action('thesis_hook_post_box_top', 'custom_headline_catcher');
add_action('thesis_hook_before_post' , 'custom_headline_catcher_end');

This will make sure the rel="author" attribute is added to the author link in the byline. Make sure you have “Show author name in post byline” and “Link author name to archive” selected under Thesis Design Options > Display Options > Bylines.

Using Authorship Markup Using URL Parameters

Google also has a simple method for those not inclined to mess with a lot of code. It basically entails adding ?rel=author to the end of your Google+ profile URL and using your name plus a “+” as your anchor text. Here’s a video by Matt Cutts and Othar Hansson from Google to explain it further:

Allow Authors to Add rel="me" to Links in Their Bio

Unfortunately, WordPress automatically removes all rel attributes from links in the author bio section but Joost de Valk has opened a Trac ticket to change this behavior. In the meantime, he has written some code that can be added to your themes functions.php file to allow the use of rel attributes:

function allow_rel() {
	global $allowedtags;
	$allowedtags['a']['rel'] = array ();
}
add_action( 'wp_loaded', 'allow_rel' );

Joost wrote a patch but apparently is also allows commentors to add rel attributes to links in comments as well which might not be the best move.

Allow Authors to Enter Their Google+ Profile URL

You can also give authors of your blog the ability to add their Google+ profile URL to their Contact Info within WordPress by adding some user contact info.

Add the following to your themes functions.php file:

function add_google_profile( $contactmethods ) {
	$contactmethods['google_profile'] = 'Google Profile URL';
	return $contactmethods;
}
add_filter( 'user_contactmethods', 'add_google_profile', 10, 1);

Now you can output that information however you’d like.

You can also link your WordPress author archive page to your Google+ profile by creating a Google +1 button and selecting the “author” option when generating the button code.

Link Author Name to Google+ Profile for Thesis Users

Thesis users can open up their custom_functions.php file add add the following:

function my_archive_intro_headline($output) {
	global $wp_query;
	if (is_author()) {
	$author = $wp_query->query_vars['author'];
	$author_name = get_author_name($author);
	$profile_url = get_the_author_meta('google_profile',$author);
	$output = str_replace($author_name, '<a rel="me" href="' . $profile_url . '">' . $author_name . '</a>',  $output);
	}
return $output;
}
add_filter('thesis_archive_intro_headline','my_archive_intro_headline');

This will link the authors Google+ profile URL to the author name which appears on the author archive page.

Linking Your Google+ Profile to Your Author Page

The last step is to add a link on your Google+ profile back to the author page (or About page) on your WordPress site.

To do this, go to your Google profile and select Edit Profile. Click on the Links section and choose Add custom link. Enter the URL to your author archive page and make sure “This page is specifically about me” is checked so it adds rel="me" to the link.

Add Link to Google Profile.

How To Test Your rel="author" Implementation

We’ve covered everything listed in Google’s Author information in search results article so everything should be setup correctly. However, you can use Google’s Rich Snippets Testing Tool to confirm your site.

This will show you the following if everything is setup correctly:

You can also submit your site to the Authorship Request Form but it isn’t necessary.

Don’t worry if you see a Warning: Missing required field “updated” or Warning: Missing required hCard “author” message. As long as you see Verified: Authorship markup is correct for this page, you’re fine. Also, when you’re testing your page/post with the Rich Snippets Testing Tool, make sure to add http:// before the URL or you’ll see Error: Google Profile does not link to article site.