2 Cents on Plugin 'Nagging'?

  • Resolved uamv

    (@uamv)


    11 years ago

    In the Detailed Plugin Guidelines, it states:

    11. Plugins should not hijack the blog admin. It is fine to include an Upgrade prompt on the plugin admin page, but not throughout the blog. It is acceptable to embed a widget on the dashboard but this should be the same size as others and be dismissable. It’s fine to put an error message at the top of the admin for special cases, but it should be linked to a way to fix the error and it should be infrequent. Any form of “nagging” is absolutely prohibited.

    How do we define nagging? I have seen many plugins, especially those that have created custom settings pages, use that space as a bulletin board for their external sites (whether it be plugin page, support page, community page). Is this considered ‘nagging’?

    Is it considered nagging to offer support help, request a plugin review, or offer an invitation to community involvement via a dismissible admin_notice? If so, is it acceptable if the plugin offers an option to disable all dismissible notices it might otherwise post? Is it acceptable if this is only done on select admin screens?

    I am looking to soon update a few of my plugins and want to get an idea of what the community sees as acceptable behavior in this arena. In no way do I want to turn off or nag our users, but I do want to engage them and offer them necessary tools for their success.

    I understand ‘absolutely prohibited’, but think more can be said to define ‘nagging’.

    Any thoughts you might have are welcome. Thanks!

Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • Thread Starter uamv

    (@uamv)

    Example case (that which I am considering implementing):

    As a Pressgram user, being interested in its services, you install the Pressgram plugin. After initial activation …

    • At 2 days: You receive a dismissible admin_notice checking that the plugin is working properly and directing you to support, if needed.
    • At 1 week: You receive a dismissible admin_notice providing you additional avenues to connect with the Pressgram community.
    • At 1-2 months: You receive a dismissible admin_notice invitation to review the plugin via www.remarpro.com to benefit other users that may be interested in the plugin’s use.

    Will you have considered yourself nagged?

    esmi

    (@esmi)

    As long as these notices are all dismissable, no – I would not consider that nagging.

    Moderator Pippin Williamson

    (@mordauk)

    I’d second what Esmi said.

    Thread Starter uamv

    (@uamv)

    Thanks! I definitely respect both of you as members of this community and have learned much from you in the past year. I’ll keep my ears open to others’ thoughts, but will probably forge ahead as planned. Again, thank you!

    esmi

    (@esmi)

    Pippin is part of the plugin review team, so I’d class his response as pretty much canonical ??

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    ?????? Advisor and Activist

    Also keep in mind: making your own plugin dashboard a cacophony of sound and spam? That’s just a bad UI. The users will judge you, far worse that we ever would. Non-essential messages on screens that aren’t yours? That’s not okay. Neither is phoning home (that is ads to google or directly liked images on your own site) from any page.

    Personally I WOULD consider that nagging if they’re on the main dashboard, or any page except a pressgram setting one.

    Oh and I’m on the plugin team too.

    Thread Starter uamv

    (@uamv)

    Ipstenu, thanks for your thoughts! i am also for a positive, clean, and pleasant UI and do think plugin/theme developers must be careful of trespassing on territory that is not there own and/or not in any way beneficial to users.

    Good to know that you would consider the above outlined notices as nagging. I suppose another option for displaying plugin specific notices is to somehow implement the admin menu bubbles for the specific options pages. Not yet sure how or if that is doable, but may look into it.

    Non-essential messages on screens that aren’t yours? That’s not okay.

    i suppose that defines nagging quite well. Now to define ‘non-essential’. Thoughts? I think ‘non-essential’ is going to be somewhat subjective – dependent on a users own purposes and interests.

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    ?????? Advisor and Activist

    No, essential vs non essential is pretty easy when you extend the words to be “Essential to the functionality of the plugin” or not.

    Essential: If you do not click here and finish setting up your plugin, it WILL NOT WORK. (See Jetpack, WP Super Cache, etc – actual functionality and use of the plugin requires you to configure things, so you really need to do this ASAP).

    Non-Essential: Hey, could you review my plugin in the repo?

    Anything essential? Totally cool for having on any page on the WP dashboard. Anything else really shouldn’t be.

    Thread Starter uamv

    (@uamv)

    So, you’re telling me I need to re-define the functionality of my plugin? ?? Just kidding. Great thoughts. Thanks, Ipstenu!

    Thread Starter uamv

    (@uamv)

    I found a solution that actually quite pleases me. You can check it out from Pressgram (Version 2.1.0) and on. Would welcome any further feedback once it’s live. Thanks, again!

    Thread Starter uamv

    (@uamv)

    FYI: Here’s the solution I chose to implement.

Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
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