Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
13
4.
Return to your WordPress.org Manage Plugins page. Click Akismet Configuration.
5.
Paste your API key into the WordPress.com API Key edit box, then click Update Options to save
the configuration.
Running Akismet
In Chapter 3, we described the basic operation of Akismet at WordPress.com. The application
doesn't run any different in the self-hosted, WordPress.org implementation. Akismet will report on
the state of the spam queue directly from your Dashboard.
Check your spam queue regularly to make sure no real comments are accidentally shuffled into
spam. This does happen, though rarely enough that you are much more likely to thank your lucky
stars for such an effective application, rather than curse the fools at Automattic for foisting such
vile code on a trusting populace.
Installing Hello Dolly
Hello Dolly is as simple a plug-in as you can get; the Mullenweg equivalent to Hello World. It spits
out a quote from the Broadway (and Hollywood) musical
Hello Dolly!
in the upper-right corner of
your Administration page whenever you look at it. As Matt describes it: “This is not just a plugin, it
symbolizes the hope and enthusiasm of an entire generation summed up in two words sung most
famously by Louis Armstrong.” So go ahead, put it on; it won't hurt anything.
These two starter plug-ins are just the tip of the iceberg for the WordPress plug-in ecosystem. The
rest of this chapter will highlight just some of the variety of tools available to help you run your
blog.
Administration and Security
These items help both with the drudgery of site administration and keeping your blog safe.
•
GD Press Tools
—This is a great plug-n, especially if you tend to be obsessive about tweaking
your site and database. Press Tools (the GD comes from the developer, called Golden Dragon)
delivers all the information about your WordPress installation you could ever want, and helps
you make some adjustments as well.
The first thing you'll notice when you install Press Tools is your Dashboard footer now has infor-
mation on how much memory you're using for WordPress, along with a running total of database
queries made and the page load speed. A Press Tools widget also appears on the Dashboard
page with “additional options.” Click the GD Press Tools tab in the left column navigation to
view 10 pages of data about your installation (see Figure 13.7).
Press Tools is not just about information. Among the nicer interactive settings include: On the
Posts page, you can close Comments on posts older than a specified date. Change your existing
username on the Administration page. Optimize and backup your database on the Database
page. A premium version supplies even more information and options.
