As if the gremlins massacring my technology weren’t enough, I have been fighting with one particular plugin to auto-post my blog to Facebook and Twitter. Really, this should not be so complicated. I had a great plugin that worked for a couple of years. But, the developer didn’t update it for the latest version of WordPress and it no longer works.
I thought I found a good solution in Leenk.me, but it has been causing me all sorts of headaches. While it will post a link, the link goes to my homepage and not to my blog post. I have checked the instructions and the code, but it all looks right to me. I can’t get the developer to respond to my queries, despite the fact that I actually paid money for it. I haven’t completely given up, but I am searching for an alternate solution.
This morning I poked around a little more and found a possible alternative. But going back to my gremlin issue, it requires a confirmation code to be sent to my cell phone. Right now, my cell phone seems to be having some…challenges with text messages. Hopefully, this will all be obviated when the new phone arrives.
But, this brings to mind a proposal I am working on right now. I have a client who is overwhelmed by the sheer number of themes and plugins available for WordPress. She has already narrowed down her theme options herself. One of the things she would like me to do is give her a list of the plugins that will do what she wants them to do without too much trouble.
Normally, I am happy to peruse plugins and their relevant reviews to help a client. But today I am feeling a little self-doubt creeping in. How can I do this for someone else if I am struggling to do it for myself? It was then pointed out to me that my struggles make me the perfect person to help my client. For one, I can truly empathize with her frustration. For two, I know first hand not to take functionality for granted. And even when something works, it requires monitoring because updates can upset the whole house of cards. That is also a concern that I know better than to ignore. Thank you unnamed person sitting on the couch next to me.
So, I will continue to fight the good fight and find a plugin that will automatically post my blog posts to Facebook and Twitter. Stay tuned, you will all know when I get it to work.
Coda: I found one that works, but only if I publish the post right away. It doesn’t work for scheduled posts. Back to the drawing board for me.