If you are like me, you like all kinds of music. One of my favorite genres back in the 80’s is R&B. I loved some of the musicians during that time like Kook & the Gang, DeBarge and the Mowtown sounds, etc.
So, this month, our setlist is coming straight from the 1980’s R&B genre featuring The Whispers, The Pointer Sisters, Irene Cara (remember Fame?), and Kool & The Gange.
We are talking about a plugin to change the slug for your author, a rocket ship for sharing on social media, a simple way to add social proof, and a new theme to consider.
Rock Steady – The Whispers
These guys are legends. Starting their career in 1963 they have spanned several decades as a group. They are headed by twins Wallace and Walter Scott and have a signature sound and great harmony.
The song Rock Steady became a hit in 1985 hitting number 1 on the R&B charts and number 7 on the Billboard Top 100.
It’s a fun song and definitely dance-worthy. Queue it up and Rock Steady.
Why & how to change Author URL for WordPress Security
It seems like Davinder Singh Kainth is always coming up with a cool tool or idea when it comes to WordPress. Earlier this month he posted an article about changing the author URL. He explains why it is necessary for security,
“By default, the author URL slug is the same as your login username selected on a WordPress website. This makes it easy for anyone to guess your login username by looking at the author URL slug.”
He introduces us to this nifty little plugin that does just that.
A really cool feature is this little tidbit,
“This plugin changes the user_nicename field in the database. So, you can disable and remove this plugin after making the change. Your changes will remain there even on future WordPress updates.” Source
“Jump (For my Love)” – The Pointer Sisters
With three Grammy’s to their credit and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, The Pointer Sisters started performing in 1969. They are legends.
They hit huge in the ‘80s with the top hits of their career including “Jump (For My Love)”, “He’s So Shy,” “I’m So Excited,” and “Slow Hand.” These ladies bring the rhythm and the soul when they performed.
Perhaps my favorite song by these sisters is “Jump (For My Love).”
These days, original member Ruth is joined by her daughter Issa, and Ruth’s granddaughter Sadako.
Released in April of 1984, the song “Jump” was the number one song of the year on Billboard’s US Hot 100 Dance Singles. The song also hit number 1 on the Canada Adult Contemporary and number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The video features a number of famous Olympic track athletes jumping in their events.
Enjoy.
Social Rocket for sharing
Launched late last year Social Rocket is a new social sharing plugin with some really nice features.
Recently, a friend shared the plugin with me. I promptly added it to my Demo site and tried it out.
If you want a plugin that is lightweight but packs some bigtime features, this plugin is one to consider.
There are tons of networks included that you or your readers can share your content with.
How you place your sharing block and where you place it is really customizable. You can place them across various sections or per page or post.
As usual, there are more features with the pro version. The yearly price for one site is just $29 and $99 for up to 5 sites. The unlimited price is $249.
“Flashdance… What a Feeling” – Irene Cara
Do you remember the movie Fame? Well, Irene Cara sang the title song. I once remember the song being used in a video promo for a pro wrestler.
Yeah, it had that kind of inspiration.
However, “What a Feelin” could be my favorite song by Cara.
If ever I get goosebumps, it is for hearing that song. It’s such a great song by a talented singer and dancer.
The song hit #1 on at least 16 charts during the years of 1983-84.
Social Proof for your website
Have you ever bought a digital product and seen the little notification in the bottom left-hand corner saying your best friend just bout it too? Well, maybe not your best friend, but someone.
I always thought that was a cool feature to have. Social proof is always a great thing to have.
WPfomify does this and our own Sebastian Moran shows you more about the plugin in a recent blog post.
“Misled” – Kool & The Gang
Kool & The Gang was one of the best bands in the 80s. I really believe that.
Their songs were electric, had feeling, and could get you moving. Their songs were often tender and empathetic.
These guys were great.
One of my favorite songs by them is “Misled.” It had heavy bass and guitar licks to go along with the trademark sound of JT Taylor, the lead singer.
The song was released in November 1984 and part of the legendary album Emergency.
eStar theme
Recently I learned about the eStar Theme and it looks impressive. It is simple, minimum, and beautiful.
“eStar is a free WordPress theme that is super fast, lightweight (less than 10KB on the front end), responsive and highly customizable WordPress theme suitable for blog, personal portfolio and business websites.” source
The theme is made to work with various page builders so it serves as a de facto framework.
The theme is made by GretaThemes, a premium WordPress theme shop.
What is a little known theme that you like to use?
Wrapping it up
I’ll admit, I have never thought about the URL for an author being a security issue. A simple change of the slug can help mitigate that risk.
If you are looking for a robust social sharing plugin, Social Rocket may fill that need. The eStar Theme looks nice and I am curious to try it out.
Have you discovered any new tools or plugins recently? Let us know in the MainWP Users Facebook Group.
