WordPress uses plugins to extend the core functionality of sites. There are over ten thousand plugins which have been developed by the WordPress Community.
The Commons provides access to a curated subset of this these plugins. These plugins are installed and ready to be activated. The Commons Plugin Director lets you do a keyword search to find plugin descriptions and urls pointing to more information.
If you know of a plugin which you would like to use, but which is not installed on the Commons, send an email to commonshelpsite@gmail.com.
How to Activate a Plug-in on a Commons Site
Activating a plugin is a one time operation – on the WordPress Dashboard, click on “Plugins.” Then scroll down until you find a plugin you’d like to try out. Click the checkbox and the “Activate” hyperlink. If you don’t like the plugin or find that it doesn’t do what you want, you can follow the same procedure, by clicking on the “Deactivate” hyperlink.
To find out more about what a plugin does and how to use it, click on “View Plugin Site.”