Topic: WordPress Membership Plugins
Speaker: Chris Lema
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Photo Credit: Jennifer Bourn
His presentation was funny at times, while also being jam-packed with amazing content. The audience roared at some of his humorous stories and took furious notes as he was sharing valuable insights.
Over the summer, Chris reviewed 30 different membership plugins designed for WordPress. Who would even undertake such a task? Chris did, and we can all benefit from that.
"When WordPress plugin developers are writing code, they’re mostly focused on solving technical challenges." https://t.co/QaZ3Pgojjs
— Chris Lema (@chrislema) November 10, 2015
Think about the User Experience
Whether you are a plugin developer or a user, you should consider what the experience of using the plugin is like.
Many membership plugins are difficult to use, have too many options and often puzzle the user with convoluted logic.
Here are 3 criteria Chris Lema used to evaluate membership plugins:
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Ease of Use
Chris looked at how easy the membership plugins were to use. The more features, the more complex the plugins tended to be.
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Ecommerce functionality
Not all membership plugins offer the ability to sell products, services and programs. Consider whether you need this feature before selecting a plugin.
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Upgrades/Downgrades
Many membership sites offer the capability to upgrade or downgrade members over time. Not all membership plugins provide this capability.
Chris shares all of the criteria on his blog.
Chris also shared a tip for writing software reviews. He said score characteristics of the product. He actually received feedback from one plugin developer that thanked him for providing insights and objective criteria/scores. He said, “You have given us a benchmark to work towards and we are making changes to meet your criteria.”
Now, that’s a win-win-win!
About the Trainer: Chris Lema
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Chris Lema
Twitter: @ChrisLema
Topic Description: Lessons Learned From Reviewing 30 Membership Plugins
What happens when you review 30 membership plugins? You learn a lot about writing reviews. You learn a lot about products and product marketing. You learn a lot about membership plugins.Come hear the stories of these lessons if you’re either a product developer, in marketing, or a membership plugin user.
Presentation Slides
Click here for Chris’s Presentation Slides
Read my Full Review of Wordcamp Sacramento
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