Sharing
As I mentioned yesterday, I need an easy way for people to share things from this site. Obviously, that means another plugin. I’m sure there are many options out there, a quick Google search comes up with a ton of relevant articles.
As always, I want something free. In regards to features, I would love a floating sidebar. Other than those two criteria, there’s the basic of it needing to be compatible with the version of WordPress I’m using and being fairly regularly updated.
Options
A few options I’ve found that fit my criteria so far are Social Warfare, Custom Share Buttons with Floating Sidebar, Swifty Bar, Kiwi Social Share, and Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons. They all really look great, have tons of features, would be great for the site.
The real problem is that I really only can use one. Social Warfare is out, no real reason why. It just seems too “powerful” if that makes sense. I really like Swifty, but I have a feeling it might conflict with my floating notification button. I can’t find a demo of Kiwi, even on YouTube. Custom Share Buttons with Floating Sidebar appears to not quite have what I want, hiding those features behind a paid version. Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons seems to be similar to the last.
Choice
Quite a conundrum, isn’t it? After a quick thought, I realize I can move that notification button! With that, Swifty is really looking good but the issue I see is very low adoption. I hate to say it, but I think I might just have to go with the plugin that has the most adoption, Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons.
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons
So there is it, I’ve installed it, I’ve configured it, I’ve tested it, and I’ve customized it more. It isn’t exactly what I want, but it will do. There are definitely features I’d like, which I’m sure I can pay for. I want to customize the sharing text more.
Trying to figure out exactly how I want them is a pain. After much playing, moving them from right to left and top to bottom to middle, I finally think I got it how I wanted. I was able to get a vertical column, which at first I didn’t think it could do for free. I had to move the push notification icon just to make it feel balanced.
Outcome
So there we go, I’ve added the quick and easy ability to share stuff to social media. This plugin has most of the features I want for free, is very powerful, and pretty easy to use and setup. There are some more features I want that I can get in the premium version, but right now I’m not prepared to spend any money on them.
I have a feeling that many of the other options would have worked just as well, but I felt that the high adoption rate of Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons was a great selling point. They had to be doing something right. Plus, with so many people using it, the plugin is likely to be something I can use for a long time coming.
What’s Next
I’m really not sure on what will come next. I know I need to improve my reach, my engagement, and my activity. I also feel like the name of this series is wrong, or maybe this is the wrong series? This has become more about “Site Improvements” instead of a project about projects. Maybe we’ll see about changing that around.
Thoughts
How do you feel about the new sidebar? Is it missing something? Does it work like you’d expect? I’d love your feedback on what I can do to improve it.
