Jetpack 3.8 – Google+ Badges and More

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Carolyn Sonnek

With the release of Jetpack 3.8, we’re introducing some great new additions for Google+ accounts and enhancements to existing Jetpack features. We’re also happy that we’ve had some fantastic contributions from members of the Jetpack community in this release.

Google+ Badges and Social Media Icons

New in Jetpack 3.8 are Google+ Badge widgets for your Google+ profiles, pages, and communities. Because Google+ profiles, pages, and communities are different, we offer slightly different versions of the badges:

Person badge using landscape layout and light theme.
Person badge using the portrait layout and the dark theme.
Page badge using portrait layout and light theme.
Community badge using portrait layout and light theme.
  • Profiles: Allow people to easily find you on Google+ and add you to a circle directly from your website.
  • Pages: Includes the profile badge features and adds some additional functionality.
  • Communities: Help people find your community and engage with other users on a topic they find interesting.

You can configure these badges by width, choose from a light or dark theme, and choose from a portrait or landscape layout. There are more options for each badge version and you can read more about this new addition to our Extra Sidebar Widgets feature.

We’ve also heard your requests to add Google+ to our Social Media Icons widget. You can now configure Google+ alongside Facebook, Twitter, and all of our other available options in the widget. Need a refresher on how to set these up? Visit our Social Media Icons support page for more information.

Twitch.tv Shortcode Embeds

We’ve added the ability for you to use a shortcode to embed Twitch.tv videos and streams to your Jetpack-powered site. Simply use the shortcode and you can embed your favorite stream or add your own stream. You can even configure things like height, width, and autoplay. Find out more about the Twitch.tv shortcode.

New WordPress Contact Form Features and Updates

We’ve updated the WordPress Contact Form with some new form options and fixes. First, we’ve added a new “Checkbox with Multiple Items” field to the available contact form fields. Previously, you were only able to set up a single checkbox per field. This option allows you to set up multiple checkboxes all in a single field, saving you time.

Also, we’ve improved the styling of the emailed form responses. Now any responses to your WordPress Contact Form submissions will show up in the order you set in your contact form. No more jumbled responses!

And More…

Other key changes in Jetpack 3.8 include:

We worked hard to make Jetpack 3.8 great and we hope you enjoy it!

 

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Community Involvement

In Jetpack 3.8, we’ve had some new features and fixes that have come from members of the Jetpack community. We’d like to take a moment to specifically thank these two community members who’ve taken the time to give back to the community:

First off, we’d like to thank Daisuke Takahashi for his exceptional work on the Google+ Badge Widget. Takahashi lives in Japan and is currently enrolled at university as a freshman and is a big fan of Open Source projects. He has been an active contributor to WordPress including speaking this past weekend at WordCamp Tokyo. Even with his self-professed “basic English skills,” he had no trouble with working with the Jetpack team on his initial code submission and subsequent changes to the widget. Thank you!

Secondly, we want to thank Eduardo Reveles for his substantial issue reports and patch submissions for Jetpack. Take a look at his GitHub profile to see all of his contributions to Jetpack. Thanks again for your help, Eduardo!

Want to help us make Jetpack even better? By contributing to Jetpack, you improve the functionality of millions of sites while gaining hands-on development experience. Best of all, people of all skill levels can help — whether you can barely recognize a filter (or don’t know what that means) or you’ve already authored your own plugins, there are ways for you to pitch in. See how you can help by visiting our Contribute page.

A special thank you to all who contributed to Jetpack during the 3.8 development cycle:
Adam Heckler, Alexander Kirk, Andrew Duthie, Brad Thomason, Brandon Kraft, Chase Livingston, Corey McKrill, Daisuke Takahashi, Dave Green, Derek Smart, Dion Hulse, Eduardo Reveles, Egill Erlendsson, Elliott Stocks, Enej Bajgoric, Gregory Cornelius, Ian Dunn, Igor Zinovyev, James Huff, Jeff Golenski, Jennifer M. Dodd, Jeremy Herve, Jesse Friedman, Joey Kudish, Jorge Bernal, Kat Hagan, Lance Willett, Marcus Kazmierczak, Michael Cain, Miguel Polfliet, Mo Jangda, Payton Swick, Richard Muscat, Rocco Tripaldi, Sam Hotchkiss, Sendhil Panchadsaram, Stephane Boisvert, Timmy Crawford, and Yoav Farhi.

Posted in Releases | 12 Comments

Jetpack: Protection From Brute Force XML-RPC Attacks

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Carolyn Sonnek

You may have read the recent news report from Sucuri about the latest vulnerability to your WordPress XML-RPC file: Brute Force Amplification Attacks via WordPress XML-RPC

miguel

Brute force attacks against XML-RPC are one of the oldest and most common types of attacks to your site. Recently, according to Sucuri’s post above, attackers have found a way to “amplify” these attacks – making it easier for attackers to try and break into your site.

How can you protect yourself from these attacks?

Simple. Use Jetpack’s Protect module.

Sam Hotchkiss, one of our Jetpack developers, wrote an article today on his blog going over the more technical details on how this new attack method works and how Jetpack protects you from this new threat.

If you’re running Jetpack with Protect enabled, you don’t need to do anything to keep yourself safe from this. We’ve already got it taken care of for you!

Posted in Features | Tagged , | 5 Comments

New Plugin Browser

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Enej Bajgorić

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the new Plugin Browser for your Jetpack sites. Now, you can install plugins from the WordPress.org plugin directory on all of your Jetpack sites from a single interface. You can also manage updates, and remove plugins you no longer need.

New Plugin Browser

New Plugin Browser

Until now, Jetpack sites with Manage enabled were only able to activate previously-installed plugins and set those plugins to autoupdate. Now, you can install new plugins as well as remove any plugins that are no longer being used.

In addition, we have dramatically improved the detailed view for a single plugin. You can see the compatibility with WordPress versions, ratings, descriptions, changelogs, and more!

Screen_Shot_2015-09-29_at_2_02_32_PM.png

WP Super Cache ready to be installed.

 

Pro tip: If you find yourself browsing the WordPress.org plugin repository and want to install the plugin on your Jetpack site, you can just replace the .org in the URL with .com and be taken to the new Plugin Browser where you can install the plugin with a single click. You will need to be logged into your WordPress.com already for this to work.

 

Posted in Releases | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Jetpack 3.7.1 and 3.7.2: Security and Maintenance Releases

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Carolyn Sonnek

With the release of Jetpack 3.7.1 and 3.7.2 this week, we’ve added some important security updates and bug fixes. We strongly encourage that you update your sites to the latest version as soon as possible.

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In Jetpack 3.7.1 we made a lot of improvements to the plugin, including some important security fixes:

  • Jetpack versions 3.7.0 and earlier are vulnerable to a cross-site scripting vulnerability in the contact form due to improper input sanitization. Reported by Marc-Alexandre Montpas from Sucuri.
  • Jetpack version 3.7.0 is vulnerable to an information disclosure vulnerability in certain hosting configurations. Reported by Jaime Delgado Horna of Listae.

Other notable updates in this release include:

  • Updating the Google+ logo in our sharing buttons.
  • Adding custom capabilities for module management for multisite installs.
  • Fixing a bug that was sending the contact form response fields in the wrong order.

In Jetpack 3.7.2, we fixed an error with the REST API that created multiple drafts and multiple published posts when posting using the REST API.

Full changelog can be found on our plugin page.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to these two releases: Alexander Kirk, Andrew Duthie, Brandon Kraft, Dennis Snell, Derek Smart, Dion Hulse, Eduardo Reveles, Enej Bajgoric, Eric Binnion, George Stephanis, Gregory Cornelius, Igor Zinovyev, James Nylen, Jeremy Herve, Jesse Friedman, Joen Asmussen, Joey Kudish, Kat Hagan, Marcus Kazmierczak, Miguel Lezama, Sam Hotchkiss, and Timmy Crawford.

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Testers Needed: Jetpack Plugin Browser

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Carolyn Sonnek

While our Jetpack development team has been hard at work keeping your Jetpacks fueled up and ready for action – our developers over on WordPress.com have been busy too!

You may already be familiar with the great Jetpack features that utilize the WordPress.com interface: the ability to update your plugins across multiple sites with a single click, being able to view enhanced stats about your site, write new and update existing posts and pages with a beautiful editor, and more.

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Now, there’s even more new things to try!

Over on the WordPress.com Horizon, where the makers of WordPress.com test upcoming changes and new features with the WordPress.com community, there’s a call for testers for a new addition to the Jetpack management features on WordPress.com.

They’re currently looking for testers with Jetpack sites to test the new Plugin Browser feature.

The Plugin Browser lets you find and install plugins from the WordPress.org plugin directory. You can search for keywords or browse within Featured, New and Popular categories. If you’ve got plugins on your site that you no longer need, then this update also lets you remove (delete) those plugins from your sites. You can still activate/deactivate plugins, and turn on (or off) auto-updates as well.

As part of the plugin browser project they have added more details to the single plugin view, which now serves reviews and ratings from the WordPress community, as well as the full description, changelog and other information specified by the plugin author.

“That’s great – how can I help?” you might ask.

Simple! There’s a post on the Horizon Feedback blog with all the details you may need including what to test, how to test, and how to submit feedback to the WordPress.com development team.

The Plugin Browser will be open for feedback through September 28th – so head on over to the Horizon post and get a sneak peek at this great new feature.

Thank you so much if you take the time to test. We appreciate it!

Posted in Misc | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Jetpack 3.7 — Simpler UI, Support for Development Sites, and More!

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Kraft

Hang on to your hats! Jetpack 3.7 is now available for your self-hosted WordPress sites with some great updates to the user interface, support for development sites, and more!

Simpler User Interface

We heard you! Jetpack now provides a much simpler user interface that gives you quick and easy access for turning various features on and off with a single click. However, if you want to tinker with individual module settings or configurations like you’re used to, the old Jetpack → Settings page is still there!

New Jetpack UI

Support for Development Sites

If you use a development or staging environment for your Jetpack site or happen to be moving your site to a new URL, you may have previously run into trouble. You probably had to reach out to our wonderful team of Happiness Engineers for help with sorting out the Jetpack issue.

No more!

Now when you move your site (e.g. by cloning a staging site off of your production site or moving from staging to production), Jetpack detects the change and asks you what you’d like to do: Would you like to move to a new address? Is this a totally different site that needs a fresh connection? Or is this a staging site? Whatever your answer Jetpack will now automatically sort itself out under-the-hood for you.

Alongside this, if your site still has trouble and can’t verify the connection with WordPress.com, we attempt to detect that too and alert you so you can take action before, for example, publishing a new post. Now, there will be no more wondering why a new post wasn’t automatically published on Facebook or Twitter!

And More…

Jetpack 3.7 also introduces the new VideoPress player that works on all devices and allows you to paste a VideoPress link to automatically embed videos. Other key changes include:

  • Ability to enable per-post opt-out for Subscriptions by adding one of our new filters to a functionality plugin.
  • A new Widget Visibility rule that allows you to show or hide widgets based on a page’s parent. Need all of your pages in your “About” section to show a certain widget? Now you can!
  • Sharing buttons now display on bbPress forum posts and more.
  • Full changelog can be seen at WordPress.org.

We worked hard to make Jetpack 3.7 a great release for you and your sites and we hope you enjoy it!

A special thank you to all who contributed to Jetpack during the 3.7 development cycle:
Adam Heckler, Alex Kirk, Allen Snook, Andrew Duthie, Ben Lowery, Bernhard Reiter, Bob Ralian, Brandon Hubbard, Brandon Kraft, Brandon Lavigne, Chris Mospaw, Chrissie Pollock, Daniel Homer, Daryl L. L. Houston, David (Lenny) Lenehan, Dennis Snell, Derek Smart, Derek Springer, Donncha Caoimh, Enej Bajgoric, Eoin Gallagher, Eric Binnion, George Stephanis, Gregory Cornelius, Ian Dunn, Igor Zinovyev (Release Lead), jeiseman, Jeff Bowen, Jeff Golenski, Jeremy Herve, Jesse Friedman, Joey Kudish, John Godley, Justin Kropp, Justin Shreve, Kat Hagan, Maciej Gryniuk, Marcus Kazmierczak, Matas Ventura, Micah Ernst, Michael Adams, Michael Cain, Miguel Fonseca, Miguel Lezama, Mohammad (Mo) Jangda, Nancy Thanki, Nathaniel Taintor, Nick Momrik, Paul Schreiber, Richard Muscat, Rocco Tripaldi, Sam Hotchkiss, Tim Moore, Tony Kovanen, Utkarsh, William Turrell, Yoav Farhi.

 

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Jetpack 3.6 – Updated Social Widgets, Jetpack CLI, and More!

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Carolyn Sonnek

Jetpack 3.6 has some great updates to the Extra Sidebar Widgets, improvements to Jetpack CLI, introducing a new Jetpack connection interface, and much more! Here’s a little taste of the great things we’ve added in Jetpack 3.6:

Extra Sidebar Widgets Updates

We’ve made some great improvements to a few existing widgets and added a new widget to the Extra Sidebar Widgets in Jetpack.

New: Social Media Icons Widget

socialiconsside

We’ve made it easy for you to add social media icons to your sidebar. Simply add the usernames of your respective social media accounts and we’ll take care of the rest. Once you save your additions, you can see the widget in action in your sidebar!

Currently supported social networks include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, GitHub, YouTube, and Vimeo.

Update: Facebook Like Box Widget
We’re excited to bring you a gorgeous new Facebook Like Box Widget! When you upgrade to Jetpack 3.6, you will have access to this new sidebar widget.

The Facebook Widget only works for Facebook Pages. In this widget, it will show your Page’s header image and now you will have the option to list your followers and recent posts to your Page’s Facebook wall as well:

FacebookWidgetSide

This new Facebook Like Box is only available in Jetpack 3.6, so upgrade today to use this great new widget.

We’ve also made some improvements to the Top Posts and Pages and the Display WordPress Posts widgets.

The Display WordPress Posts widget now gives you the option to have links open in a new browser window. The Top Posts and Pages widget now allows you to show/hide different page types from the widget. Only want to show post and page results in your widget? Simply check the boxes for “Posts” and “Pages” in the widget configuration area and save!

Jetpack CLI Improvements

Jetpack CLI is a command line interface for Jetpack, extending off of WP-CLI for WordPress. You can easily modify your Jetpack settings with a just a few simple commands.

JetpackCLI

In Jetpack 3.6, we’ve greatly expanded the number of commands available for you to manage your Jetpack site using WP-CLI. You can read the full list of commands available here on our Jetpack CLI support document.

New Jetpack Connection Management

With this new version of Jetpack, we’ve added a new way for you to manage your Jetpack’s connection to WordPress.com. You’ll see a new button for “My Jetpack” in your menu bar under Jetpack -> Jetpack in your site’s Dashboard.

myJetpack

Clicking this button will take you to a configuration page where you can manage your site’s Primary User, see any other connected users, and/or manage your connection to WordPress.com.

We have plans to add even more features to My Jetpack in future Jetpack releases.

Other Notable Updates

A couple more notable updates in Jetpack 3.6:

  • Jetpack Mobile Theme now supports adding a Featured Image to Gallery Post Format and Pages.
  • Jetpack Protect now offers a captcha in the login flow. If you accidentally trigger Protect by entering the wrong login information, you’ll be given the option to enter your correct username and password with a captcha to prevent being fully locked out.

The full list of updates in Jetpack 3.6 can be seen here on WordPress.org.

Posted in Releases | Tagged , | 15 Comments

New: Beta Testing Jetpack

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Carolyn Sonnek

jetpack2

WordPress is an Open Source project built and maintained by members of the community. While Jetpack is built by the fine folks of Automattic to port features from WordPress.com to self-hosted sites, we embrace the same open source spirit by hosting its plugin source code and development publicly on GitHub. We’ve done a lot of great things so far, and we can do much more with your help!

How can you help? Join our newly relaunched Beta program!

As part of our Beta program, you help shape the future of the Jetpack plugin. The Beta program is 100% open to the public and we’re excited to get the WordPress and Jetpack user community involved.

As a Beta tester, you’ll get a sneak peek at new features and be one of the first to try them out. You’ll also help us track down any bugs and other issues, and even suggest tweaks or improvements to existing features. We have a few surprises up our sleeves for our testers as well! :)

You don’t need to be a developer, or even need to know how to code to participate – if you use WordPress and Jetpack, you can be a Beta tester.

Learn more about our awesome new Beta program by visiting the Jetpack Beta page. You can also help by spreading the word on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.

Ready? Sign up now!

If you have questions about the Beta program or contributing to Jetpack in general, please comment or contact us. And if you’re unsure about joining us as Beta tester, there are lots of other ways to contribute to the Jetpack community.

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Jetpack 3.5: Menu Management

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Richard Muscat

Today we released Jetpack 3.5 which includes the ability to manage your site’s menus directly from WordPress.com as well as several bug fixes and enhancements.

Menu Management

With this version of Jetpack connected, you can manage your site’s menus directly from wordpress.com/sites. This adds to our growing list of centralized site management features such as automatic and bulk plugin updates.

Jetpack Menu Management

How to Update

Visit the Plugins page in your Dashboard and update Jetpack from there. Alternatively, update all your sites in bulk from wordpress.com/plugins/jetpack.

How to Install

You can install Jetpack by visiting our install page or by searching for it in your Plugins page on your dashboard.

Feedback

Please give us your feedback by leaving a comment and letting us know what you love or what you’d like to see in future updates. If you find any bugs or issues, please file a new issue on GitHub, create a new forum post, or simply contact our support team.

Posted in Releases | Tagged | 18 Comments

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