We love JetPack. This feature rich plugin was released today with a couple of brand new features and a redesigned interface for managing modules and settings.
What’s New:
JetPack Dashboard
The JetPack plugin now offers 33 different features laid out in a sortable “greeting page.”
Admin Settings Page
This update brings the addition of an Admin Settings Page. The page allows users to quickly see at a glance what modules are active, and turn modules on and off with just a click.
* Just a note: Automatic activation of new modules is part of JetPack. New features are automatically “on” unless you deactivate them.
Site Verification Module
Frustrated when sites ask you to add a verification code somewhere to the back end of your site, but it doesn’t work, or you aren’t sure where to add it? This new feature allows you to enter your meta key “content” value to verify your site with Google Webmaster Tools, Bing Webmaster Center and Pinterest Site Verification.
Additional JetPack 3.0 Enhancements:
- Enhancement: New look for the Sharing module
- Enhancement: Multiple improvements on which Twitter handle a Twitter card will display
- Enhancement: Add option to hide Google+ Authorship banner while still receiving the benefits
- Enhancement: Many Infinite Scroll enhancements to improve performance
- Enhancement: Infinite Scroll will use your CPT’s display name instead of “Older Posts”
- Enhancement: JSON API added /media/new endpoint
- Enhancement: Added filter to assign new default image for Open Graph tags
- Enhancement: New [jetpack-related-posts] shortcode to add Related Posts to page instead of default placement
- Enhancement: Added SSO option to turn off login form completely, to use WordPress.com login exclusively
- Enhancement: The [googlemaps] shortcode allows for Google Maps Engine
- Enhancement: YouTube shortcode allows HD playback
- Enhancement: Smoother, Faster Tiled Galleries!
- Enhancement: New languages! Use Jetpack in Irish, Fulah, and Tigrinya (and here you thought you were already fluent in Irish...)
JetPack has become the Swiss Army Knife of WordPress plugins, effectively taking the place of several unrelated add-ons. For the haters who complained that Jetpack slowed their sites “down to a crawl”, the new administrative user panel allows for bulk activation and deactivation of modules in the same way you might manage plugins. Additionally, some features like Related Posts, move the server load from your server to the servers on Wordpress.com. 3.0 is a major update and should greatly improve the user experience.
