Introducing Socialize 2.0

I’ve decided to stop maintaining Socialize as the way we share content has evolved. With built-in browser sharing and a demand for more control, on-site social bookmarking buttons have become outdated. Check out this post for more details on why it’s time to say goodbye to Socialize.

Thank You for all of your support throughout the years!

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Almost 10 months after I was able to get Socialize 1.0 out we can now move on to Socialize 2.0. This release is a major rewrite of the plugin code to reduce the number of calls to the database and increase the plugin’s flexibility.

Video of Socialize 2.0 Settings

More Placement Control

I cleaned up the stylesheet a bit to play nice with certain buttons, Facebook Like, and created a new option to display your buttons horizontally. The stylesheet can also now be disabled so you can create custom code.

Sorting

I’ve wanted this one for awhile. What sets Socialize apart from the rest is the ability to selectively display the buttons of your choice on different posts, pages, etc. The only thing missing was the ability to easily rearrange the order of the selected buttons.

Well now rearranging buttons is as easy as dragging them around and saving your post. You can also change the order of the default buttons being displayed in the same manner.

Open Graph Integration

Open Graph meta tags help your site become a rich object in a social graph. Facebook and other sites use this data to learn more about your site and the page being shared.

You can now easily associate your Facebook Like button with a Facebook page using you App ID.

Bitly Integration

Bitly is a great way to get simple click data about a link all the while keeping the link small and friendly for the internet. You can now insert your Bitly username and API key to generate Bitly links you can track.

More Design Control

While I was updating the Socialize plugin, I began adding more means of controlling the looks of the share buttons. I ended up with a whole new page in the admin with complete control over every button in the Socialize plugin.

I also revamped the Call to Action area, allowing you to edit every aspect of how it’s displayed. You can change the border size, color and style as well as use template tags to change the HTML within the Call to Action area.

Custom Post Type Support

Finally, I added better Custom Post type support to the point where you can disable and enable the socialize plugin on specific post types.

The Future

I had a lot planned for this release but time forced me to trim some of the fat. I won’t give up on some of my ideas tho and here are some features to keep en eye out for:

• Mobile integration
• Shortcodes
• Developer API
• Front End editing
• New/Custom Buttons

… and some secret awesome stuff you’ll just have to wait for.

What Is Socialize?

The idea was to create an easy to use plugin that allowed bloggers to selectively add social bookmarks to their post. Furthermore I wanted to only use actionable buttons with counters because I believe displaying a posts social activity gives it positive social proof and can lead to more shares and more views.

This plugin also includes what I like to call an ‘alert box’ that is selectively displayed below posts and pages to encourage comments and sharing. You can also insert buttons into this post to increase the sharing potential.

The plugin is designed to make it easy for readers to share your content and give you full control of what is displayed where.

Download Socialize

So go check out the plugin page and try it out.

Remember if you are upgrading, be sure to deactivate the plugin first and reactivate it once you have uploaded the files.