Note: This is replicating similar functionality that is built in with WordPress.COM blogs (but not .ORG). If you are self-hosting your blog using WordPress then you are .ORG (that is what I am). If you host your blog using WordPress.COM you don’t have to worry about all this because it’s built in. If you are not even using WordPress you can just skip down a few paragraphs to the updates below.
I don’t know about you, but when I comment on a blog with a question I very rarely go back to check for an answer. I like it when the blogger emails me back from the comment notification email they get in their inbox from WordPress. I also reply to nearly all my comments this way. I should really add the responses to my blog since sometimes people ask good questions that other people might want to see the answer to. So…
Best Blog Commenting Reply Plugins for WordPress
Reply to a comment on a post –> sends an email to the commenter.
First, if you don’t already have nested comments enabled, do so. It’s under Settings –> Discussion –> Enable threaded (nested) comments. This makes it so your comment replies are indented, like so:
Second, install Comment Reply Notification (search for it under Plugins –> Add New). This one sends an email to the commenter after you write a reply. You will need to go to Settings –> Comment Reply Notification and select the option that you want (I did “Anyone replies”). You can also change the format of the email that gets sent out with the reply.
Voila! Now you can have comment replies on your blog that also go to the original commenter’s email.
I will be replying a whole lot more now that I have this up and running. I’m very excited!
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August Goal Setting Update
Last week I listed out some goals that I wanted to make progress on by my birthday in mid-September.
Sleep goal. I am happy to say that I went to bed early-ish every night this last week! The latest I stayed up was on Saturday night (til about 1am) but all the other nights I was in bed around 11:30pm. I am so happy.
Fitness goals. No yoga yet, unfortunately, but lots of walking. I don’t know why I haven’t been into yoga lately. This was me doing down-dog on the lanai (balcony) on the honeymoon. I did actually do a yoga class in Hawaii; it was yoga on the beach in the early morning. (We were both morning people on the honeymoon because we didn’t really do the time change. So 6am in Hawaii was like noon in NYC. It worked.)
Music fun. Here is a lovely song by a band called Mumford & Sons. We are seeing them later this year. They are fantastic. Just wait for the chorus!
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I will be back tomorrow with a standard healthy post. I just wanted to offer up that comment info for anyone who might find it useful, and do the goal update.
Do you have any great plugins you want to share?
Love that band! And thanks for the plugin; it sounds like a goody. One of my favourites is the Better Blogroll; it allows you to have a rotating blogroll so that you can pile on TONS of great blogs without having a huge list cluttering your sidebar.
@Sagan: Thanks for the tip! I have been using a blogroll plugin that puts the blogroll onto a page instead of a sidebar but I feel like people don’t get to visit the page that much since it’s not prominent like a sidebar. I will have to check it out
I really want to get back to yoga too and I’m excited to check out some of the videos you have on your blog!
@Andrea: Awesome! Check out my yoga page: Yoga & Fitness –> Yoga. Netflix and YogaDownload are my 2 favorite places to get free yoga I also love this YouTube video by Sadie Nardini. I think the link is on the yoga page.
Ok, I cant find the plug in button. Where is it in wordpress?
@Lisa @ I’m an Okie: It’s on the left side of your dashboard (right under the “Appearance” section). Hope that helps!
Hey, I have something similar in my blog and it’s so useful. I wish everyone would use plugins like this 🙂
@Anne@ Food Loving Polar Bear: Me too! (I am loving being able to reply on the post and in email so I am going crazy with replies today.)
Oh and if you need a plugin for stats, try this: Official StatCounter Plugin!
@Anne@ Food Loving Polar Bear: Thanks! I will check it out. Right now I use “Google Analytics for WordPress”.
So you think the BMR on that website was more or less than what you burn? I’m confused! Thanks!
@Ashley S: I think it was less than I actually burn. For my height/weight I should burn around 2000/day but I think I burn slightly more. The only problem is I’m not exactly sure because I cannot make myself count calories for more than a few days, so I never know exactly how much I’m eating I just hate counting – it drives me crazy.
Oh lord, I’m still trying figure out things on wordpress, I need to find myself a “geek squad” boyfriend I swear, or maybe a rich one that works at google. Anyhow. I like your goals, and as a yoga instructor, I personally get in yoga ruts where I will not “feel” it. Teaching is VERY different from actually practicing. Have you tried downloading a podcast from “Yoga Poser”. I always take it with me when I travel and I’m always sore after! I have getting myself to bed before midnight lately (thats early for me) and I’m loving it. I cant believe there was I time I’d be up until 4am on problem!
@Eden: I haven’t seen Yoga Poser! I will have to check it out. Yeah, I normally go to bed around 2am, so 11:30 is hard for me. But after a few days I got into the groove. I took a YogaFit level 1 teacher training course and it was very cool. I have always debated doing more and getting certified.
P.S. If you ever need WordPress help let me know! I used to be a programmer back in the day I’ve had many many jobs.
dont know about plug-ins but i love M&S right now too! the cave is a fave. thanks for the info and updates maggie.
So it’s Ozh’ Absolute Comments!!! I’ve been wondering how I can get that. Thanks for this mini tutorial, Maggie! I’d love to read more technical blog posts from you. Nerds unite!
I changed my plugin to yours, I like it more BUT.. I didn’t get an email from you notifying me of your reply to my comment (see above) 🙁
@Anne: Oh no! Let me know if you get this one. That’s very odd.
I can’t find the plugins for email notification 🙁
@coco: are you using WordPress.com to host your blog? If you are you should already have it built in 🙂 If not… I will have to help you find it when I come visit! (Still have to figure out which weekend. Maybe the week after this one?)
yes. Any weekend will work for me! just let me know. Star is coming this weekend to stay for a month or so and next weekend I’ll be running my first half marathon! You’re more than welcome to cheer me up 😀
Thanks so much for this–love it! Wish I’d been able to read this post before I went and paid somebody to install nested comments on my site. Now I have to see if I can figure out the “simultaneous email” part by myself. 😉
@Ricki: If you can’t figure it out let me know! You just have to reply on the actual post, not via email. Like what I did just now 🙂