They were both from the same family of plugins. The two plugins installed were WP Forms (Lite) and All In One SEO.
The vendor has clarified that the additional plugins were installed and activated during the setup process for WP Mail SMTP. I have reviewed the setup and I can see the checkboxes. But they’re very misleading.
First, the checkboxes are preselected, making it appear as though I am accepting presets for the plugin I just installed — not installing additional plugins. The headline at the top asks specifically, and misleadingly, “Which email features do you want to enable?” So, we’re to believe that a separate SEO plugin is an “email feature?” Serioulsy?!!!
Second, the descriptions on the checkboxes do not identify the “email features” as additional plugins, which will be installed and activated automatically, sidestepping the normal process in which the user actively searches for, installs, and then activates a plugin.
I find this more than vaguely unethical. I think it’s a Trojan Horse marketing plan to trick users into accepting (and possibly upgrading) two additional plugins, which are not represented to the user as additional plugins. And it’s a little disconcerting to realize that the “plugin” I downloaded was actually a bloated package of three plugins, with the other two plugins hidden inside the folder containing the first plugin. Trojan Horse, indeed!
If this practice spreads it’s going to diminish trust in the plugin industry and in WordPress in general. I hope that the vendors have the good sense and decency to stop doing it.
]]>Neve version 3.3.0 removes previously free feature “remove forced footer links to theme”. And makes is available in paid version.
Related update in 3.3.0 changelog appears as “Drop the copyright footer component and add static copyright;” which forces footer links to “neve theme” and to www.ads-software.com
For increasing sales and getting more customers to pro version please try using affiliates with theme reviews.
Forcing footer links after gaining 300k+ active installs is not good practice. I discovered those footer links by accident after couple days past updating theme.
“Removing footer links” was first thing that I liked about old neve theme. Now it is gone
Do not remove free features after gaining popularity. 300k people rely on these features. Please do not break trust that you built over the years.
]]>I don’t want ProfilePress so I’m uninstalling it and searching for another alternative.
]]>A quick look at their support forums reveals that the authors are no longer replying to their users. I understand that the authors of a free plugin cannot (and probably should not) offer the same support level as paid plugins, but it looks like it’s been months since the last interaction of the authors in a support thread. I even tried to contact them via Twitter with no luck.
Hopefully, the authors will find some spare time in the upcoming future and address this and other issues. In the meantime, I’ve been forced to add the fix in my own plugin so that my users can use both solutions. However, if Pagefrog keeps neglecting its users, I’d recommend you not to use it and look for a different solution.
]]>https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/head-cleaner/
]]>But is it ok to follow the link if the anchor text says my company brand name instead so “example brand name” link to the index page www.example.com?
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