Around the Office: New WP Plugins, Google to Up Tracking, Ideas from Dx3

A lot can happen in five months! Roberto is interested in testing out at least some of the 35 most interesting and useful WordPress plugins released since September 2011. Included in the list is: a plugin that replaces the default comments widget with the Facebook Comments widget; a plugin that regularly backs up your website; and a plugin that helps secure your WordPress page. And now that you’ve got a bunch of new plugins, the Plugin Performance Profiler (or P3) will measure the impact of your plugin on your site’s load time.

Daveed is a little weary about Google’s changes to its privacy policy that will let it track consumers across its many online products such as YouTube, Gmail and Google Search. According to a Washington post article, Google will be amalgamating its data to create a more complete picture of its users. Many think this goes too far, especially because they won’t be able to opt out of being tracked. It may be little consolation, but Google wants to use this extra information to do “cool things”. (If you want to know what Google already thinks of you, check your interest and age profile.)

Brent was able to exchange some ideas on how to use Facebook to drive engagement at Dx3 Canada, a Toronto trade show dedicated to digital marketing, advertising and retail. One company that is using Facebook well is Etsy, an online marketplace that created an app which suggests items to you based on the likes and interests of your Facebook friends. This is supposed to make shopping for gifts easier, but it also helps make Etsy a more attractive site to buy from. With 18 million Canadians active on Facebook, companies stand to benefit from using the platform — preferably with a some elegance and creativity.