How to Read a Wordpress Blog, Add a Comment, and Gain Twitter Followers with WP-Twitip-ID

by Ari Herzog on December 23, 2008 · 24 comments

The subject says it all.

Among my list of 15 awesome Wordpress plugins is Extra Comments Fields, a neat tool developed by Nate Weiner which allows blog publishers to insert optional fields for readers like you to add a comment and include links to your Digg, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, or other social network profiles.

Last month, developer Sean Walberg explained a 4-step process to insert a Twitter id using that plugin.

If you visit TwiTip, a site that ProBlogger Darren Rowse recently created, every Wordpress blog commenter has the ability to insert a Twitter id and any reader can follow.

Here’s a screen shot from TwiTip:

Until yesterday, I also used this plugin.

I’ve since switched to WP-Twitip-ID, based on Nate Weiner’s concept but elaborated by developer Andy Bailey (the man behind CommentLuv, also on my list of 15 plugins). The two look similar but involve different back-end programming.

By default, Andy’s plugin creates code that looks like this (from Mike Nichols‘ blog):

It looks pretty, but I didn’t want the image nor the text to appear. Rather, I hoped it would look like Connie Bensen’s new blog design.

With assorted help from Mike Nichols and Andy Bailey, I inserted code into my custom_functions.php file as indicated on this Thesis forum discussion page and the result is here:

See the similarity among Darren’s, Connie’s, and my blog? See the difference between our blogs and yours?

Over the coming days, I will tweak my custom.css file to increase the font size so it can read more easily.

Any questions? Here is a link for you to follow Andy’s instructions and download WP-Twitip-ID.

In the tradition of Jim Connolly and John Jantsch, would you like to add a comment below in 140 characters or less about who you are, enough of a tease to see if everyone reading it will follow you? It’s worth a try.

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Tagged as: design, howto, Twitter, Wordpress

Comments:

{ 24 comments }

1 Brandon December 23, 2008 at 1:11 AM: I use Darren’s method on my own blog – it’s been nice and I’ve had no problems thus far. Thanks for posting the great tip – I hope more blogs pick this up.
2 StaceySoleil December 23, 2008 at 1:12 AM: Cool beans! Will definitely give it a go…gotta stay on top of things. Thanx Ari

StaceySoleil´s last blog post..staceysoleil: looking for advice from those of you that participate in affiliate programs…
3 Farhan Rehman December 23, 2008 at 1:14 AM: discovering some amazing and wonderful people, projects, and business ideas across the Social Media, and new media landscape. Also helping others learn to use the tools and grow.

Farhan Rehman´s last blog post..Love Facebook, hate Twitter? – Here’s your solution!
4 StaceySoleil December 23, 2008 at 1:14 AM: Oops last post had an extra @ under my Twitter ID…here is the real dealio

StaceySoleil´s last blog post..staceysoleil: looking for advice from those of you that participate in affiliate programs…
5 krishna December 23, 2008 at 5:34 AM: I just follow up Darrens blog(twitip) frequently. Nice to see the same plugin’s here.

krishna´s last blog post..Send Money Through Twitter With Twitpay
6 Corey Freeman December 23, 2008 at 6:03 AM: My name is Corey Freeman and I learn my skills through problem solving and experimentation and aim to teach those methods to others so they can grow their online businesses.

Nice plugin! I can use both of them for a new project I’m working on. I stumbled the post for ya.

Corey Freeman´s last blog post..Commenting Glitch
7 Sarah Dillon December 23, 2008 at 7:00 AM: Great plugin, thanks for the heads-up Ari. And great idea re: following an intro in approx 140 characters. Here’s my attempt:

Irish translator from French, Spanish and German into English, living in Australia. Check out my learnings on working from home and (very) remotely!

Sarah Dillon´s last blog post..Translator identities: multiple personalities or a dynamic whole?
8 Andy Bailey December 23, 2008 at 7:27 AM: looks like you have it sorted and working nicely. it’s mad to see how mad people get about twitter! I know I’m nuts about it.

Andy Bailey´s last blog post..Intense Debate and CommentLuv
9 Jim Connolly December 23, 2008 at 7:50 AM: Hello Ari,
Good luck with the plugin and thanks for the mention!

Jim Connolly´s last blog post..Unsexy blog posts can be valuable too!
10 Matthew Mamet December 23, 2008 at 8:29 AM Twitter: @msmamet: Ari – good work customizing the plugin and describing the step by step process. Here’s my 140:

I enjoy working with Internet tech, & currently am at PermissionTV, exploring ways to expand the online discussion using interactive video.

Matthew Mamet´s last blog post..Tweet Tweet! My Week
11 Stuart Foster December 23, 2008 at 8:40 AM Twitter: @stuartfoster: Love the Twittip Plugin…wish I could integrate it into Disqus somehow however…same thing with CommentLuv. If these awesome plug-ins keep being rolled out…I may have no choice but to dump Disqus and try a more jury rigged solution. Thanks Ari…you’ve given me something to think about .

Stuart Foster´s last blog post..How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blog
12 Matthew Diehl December 23, 2008 at 9:25 AM: Wow – that Twitter plugin is really great. I am off to get it now for my site.

Thanks!

Matthew Diehl´s last blog post..Using Google Webpage Removal Request Tool to Your Advantage
13 Craig December 23, 2008 at 12:49 PM Twitter: @budgetpulse: Good tip. I have added the ID box based off of your advice but can see how switching it may be a little more helpful. Looking forward to hear how you like using it and if you recommend after the change.
14 Ari Herzog December 23, 2008 at 3:21 PM Twitter: @ariherzog: Brandon and Krishna: The problem I had with the plugin explained on ProBlogger is for whatever reason, I was forced to deactivate the plugin whenever I wanted to edit spam comments. Andy’s plugin (due to the different programming) allows me to edit spam anytime.

Two different plugins. Same outcome. I was using the first. I’m now using the second. Make sense?

Stuart, no idea about Disqus. That’s a strange animal. I haven’t implemented WP 2.7’s comment threading either, yet. That should be amusing…

Thanks again, Andy… and nice to see you drop by, Jim Connolly!
15 Kate Foy December 23, 2008 at 4:19 PM: Plug-in designers tinker away into the days and nights like Santa’s elves. They are unsung heroes in the backroom and their genius is a gift to all of us!

Thanks Ari for a great plug-in and all the best for a restful holiday season and a great 2009.
16 Micah Wittman December 23, 2008 at 4:35 PM: Thanks for demonstrating this plugin, Ari – well done.

Micah Wittman´s last blog post..Bebepool Login Retooled
17 Mike Nichols December 23, 2008 at 6:24 PM: Thanks for the “plug,” Ari! And thanks to Andy Bailey, the developer, who went way far out of his way to make it work on Thesis!

Mike Nichols´s last blog post..Shameless Self-Promotion
18 Connie Bensen December 24, 2008 at 11:11 AM Twitter: @conniebensen: Hey Ari,
I’m glad that you got it worked out! It is a cool little plug in to build community.

Have a Merry Christmas! and I will definitely check out your blog! thanks for the invite. (that’s a great way of promoting yourself! good job!)

Connie

Connie Bensen´s last blog post..My Gift to You in Blue!
19 Deanna Keahey December 26, 2008 at 8:43 PM: Thanks for another great tip Ari! I found out about CommentLuv from your blog, and now another cool Wordpress tool that I’ll have to try out. Keep up the good work!

Deanna Keahey´s last blog post..That’s when the joy happens
20 Julie Roads December 28, 2008 at 9:30 PM Twitter: @writingroads: Ari – your blog is like a never ending bucket of fun and info; I can’t get enough.

Who am I? A copywriter obsessed with the blogging platform and helping people use it and love it – authentically.

Julie Roads´s last blog post..When you are so 2009 & your web copy is so 1987
21 Ari Herzog December 28, 2008 at 9:48 PM Twitter: @ariherzog: Please, Julie, admit you’re a bigger bundle of fun than me!

Thanks, all, have a restful week leading into 2009!
22 John Eckman December 29, 2008 at 3:16 PM Twitter: @jeckman: Hey Ari – thanks for the pointers to great WordPress plugins!

I had to tweak WP-Twitip-ID a bit as it had conflicts with the WP-OpenID plugin I use at Open Parenthesis, but all it really took was a few tweaks of the comments.php in my template, and and one tweak to the output parameters WP-Twitip-ID provided.

John Eckman´s last blog post..Links for 2008-12-23 [ma.gnolia]
23 Fox January 31, 2009 at 2:05 AM: Wow – that Twitter plugin is really great.
24 Laura May 6, 2009 at 5:18 PM Twitter: @virtualbiz4u: THANKS what a great twitter plugin. Great video tutorial also.

Laura´s last blog post..Twebinars for business