With over 11 million downloads, Jetpack is one of the most popular WordPress plugins in the world. Way back when, these features were only for the WordPress.com users. Finally they decided to share and Jetpack was born. Now the self hosted users have many of the same benefits in one simple plugin.
Features of Jetpack
- Site Verification Tools: Verify your site with Google, Pinterest, Bing, and more.
- Related Posts: Have links to other related posts under posts to keep the readers engaged.
- Markdown: Write in plain-text Markdown syntax.
- Monitor: Know when your site goes down and know when it is back up.
- Jetpack Single Sign On: All your WordPress sites, one single login credential.
- Google + Profile: Give yourself and the readers the ability to link to their Google+ account.
- Photon: Acceleration from the WordPress.com CDN.
- Infinite Scroll: Support for themes that have infinite scroll.
- VideoPress: (Paid feature) Upload and host videos on your WordPress site.
- Widget Visibility: Pick what widgets you want on certain pages.
- JSON API: Applications connect to your WordPress site securely through the cloud.
- Omnisearch: Database searches done easy.
- Likes: Readers can show their love by liking your content.
- Publicize: share with social media automatically.
- WordPress.com Stats: Page statistics built in the dashboard.
- Notifications: Know when you get site activity through the dashboard toolbar and your Apple device.
- Jetpack Comments: Let readers leave their opinions.
- Subscriptions: Give readers the ability to get your content in their email.
- Carousel: Full page image sideshows made easy.
- Post By Email: Publish via email.
- Sharing: Let your readers share your content.
- Spelling and Grammar: Check your spelling and grammar with one click.
- Vault Press: (Paid service) Jetpack’s security and backup.
- Gravatar Hovercards: Pop-up online business cards for commenters.
- Contact Form: Let your readers be able to reach you without putting your email on your site.
- Tilled Galleries: Showcase your pretty pictures.
- WP.me Shortlinks: Make your URL’s shorter and more sharable.
- Custom CSS: Customizing CSS without changing your theme.
- Shortcode Embeds: Embedding the world without code.
- Mobile Theme: Your theme on mobile but better.
- Beautiful Math: LaTeX markup for math problems bigger than 1+1=2.
- Extra Sidebar Widgets: More widgets to play with.
- Enhanced Distribution: Share your content with the world.
Benefits of Jetpack
My favorite thing about Jetpack is that it has over 30 awesome features in a little living space. I am a minimalist when it comes to WordPress plugins and I enjoy the fact that I can have a multi-functioned plugin. Like my kitchen, I try not to use unitaskers unless necessary. I do like that you can turn off the services you do not wish to use while keeping the ones you do on. That is a handy feature because there are a few components I will never use. I like the fact that their website goes through each individual aspect and gives a brief description. This makes it helpful in deciding what can benefit you and what will not.
My favorite features are WordPress.com stats, publicize, sharing, and monitor. WordPress.com stats make life so much easier. I like being able to sign on to my dashboard and know right there how many views my site has. Publicize and sharing are a social media junkie’s saving grace. I love the click and forget aspect of it. The only thing I change with publicize is that I add in my hashtags before publishing the post. I am very particular about knowing what is going on with my site and I love monitor and its emails. It let me know that it was time to move a site due to downtime issues I might not have known as soon if I did not have that option turned on.
What to consider with using Jetpack
First of all check the speed of your site with and without Jetpack on it. Some have mentioned that the plugin makes their site slow. I have not had any problems with any of my sites but this is something that is site specific. You will also need a WordPress.com account. This is not the same as your login to your dashboard. Research it before you decide to put it on any of your sites. I hold that true to any plugin. Do not be scared that there is a lot to Jetpack. Their website it full of information and support.
Bottom Line
If you are new to WordPress or you are moving your site from WordPress.com to self-hosted I would definitely get this plugin. If you like having multi-functional plugins, get this plugin. If you are ultra-particular about what you put on your site and you only want what you want, then Jetpack is probably not for you. Personally, Jetpack is for everyone.
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