Finding the right plugin for your website or blog is a lot like finding the glass slipper that fits Cinderella’s angelic foot. Especially for social media sharing buttons, it can be challenging to find just the right plugin. During the development of my site with Lorikeet Media (God bless her), we had trouble finding a WordPress plugin that looked aesthetically pleasing and carried functionality at the same time.
When my site was launched about a month ago, I had zero social media sharing buttons because I just couldn’t find the right plugin! I began to try everything under the sun. I tried individually installing sharing buttons for each social network through installing individual plugins. That was a headache. I tried a few all in one plugin options (Social Media Plugin, Social Media Counter). That was not fruitful as well. After much trial and error I reached out to good ‘ol Twitter to see if anyone knew any efficient plugins that would fit this glass slipper. David Wells from Boston replied by suggesting Digg Digg for WordPress.
I had heard of Digg Digg here and there before but wasn’t quite sure what it was all about. Digg Digg is, “a FREE WordPress plugin, integrating popular social buttons into WordPress easily. “Digg Digg can integrate a slew of social networks out there into your plugin. Click here for a full list.
For my site, I chose to go with the Normal Display and used the Normal button design option. I find these the easiest to include at the bottom of my posts because they all lined up fairly nicely versus using the Compact button design (although I like this look better) since the buttons tend to be placed all over the bottom of the post. This creates a messy and chaotic feel for the user.
There also is a Floating Option (buttons follow you as you scroll along the page) and Manual Placement (requires some HTML skills). But I like to keep things simple and clean so if this is also your preference use Normal options all around.
A few reminders, especially for WordPress users like me who are kind of clueless about plugins.
- Install the plugin in WordPress, not from the site. This is confusing to integrate into your WordPress server.
- Your plugin options will be located at the bottom of the left tool bar, not within widgets.
- Be sure to actually select Enable (whichever display option) Option at the top of the Display page.
- Save your changes before you test how your changed options look.
Digg Digg is a great and quick solution for those out there looking for an easy to use plugin to include social network sharing buttons for your site content. If there are any other plugins out there that are equally as good or better or if I missed any other tips users should know, leave a comment. Let your ROAR be heard!