If your site is not attached to a group and you want to notify members of new posts and comments, you can install the JetPack plugin.
The Jetpack plugin is actually a bundle of plugins that have been developed for WordPress.com. Go to Plugins and activate it like any other plugin on the Commons.
The following screen will be displayed. Click on “Set Up Jetpack.”
You need a wordpress.com account (not a site on wordpress.com) to use Jetpack. If you have one, enter your credentials here. If you do not have an account, you can easily create one using other such accounts (Google, Apple, GitHub, etc).
Once you are signed in, you should see that Jetpack is completing its setup process. This might take a little time.
After clicking on the “Approve” button, Jetpaclk will be fully activated. You will see its options on the top left hand of your Dashboard menu.
Jetpack offers several plans. Commons users should use the free plan. Click on “My Plan” to see the plan’s options.
After clicking on the “Getting started with Jetpack” button, you will be taken to the Jetpack setting page. Here you can control the various plugins that are bundled within Jetpack.
Commonly Used Jetpack Functionality
Many Jetpack plugins are similar to other plugins we have installed on the Commons. Some may be more up-to-date and work better. Some Jetpack functionality is not available on the Commons and so is of particular interest to Commons members.
Sharing
The plugin works very well with social media. You can add new widgets to your site to pull in social media feeds.
Discussion
This plugin supercharges your sites comment functionality with many display options.
Traffic
This is actually the Jetpack “Stats” plugin. It provides easy to use statistics for you site. See Site Statistics Using Jetpack Stats. The other option is to use a more complex and comprehensive third party platform – Site Statistics Using Google Analytics.
Newsletter
Under the Newsletter plugin, many members use JetPack’s “Subscription” functionality to allow people to subscribe to their sites and receive email notifications when a post is published. See more about Subscriptions.
Unless you have a small number of subscribers, the Newletter option is problematic on the Commons. Our server is stressed when outputting a large number of emails. It is better to choose a third party newsletter provider.
After activating JetPack, go to Settings>>Newsletter.
The options in the Subscription section are fairly self explanatory. The basic result is that members of your site will receive email notifications of new posts and comments.
Unless you have a small number of subscribers, the Newletter option is problematic on the Commons. Our server is stressed when outputting a large number of emails. It is better to choose a third party newsletter provider.
You can also optionally add a widget that would let non-members subscribe to your site. These will not become members of the site but will be added to a list of emails to are sent out.
Go to Appearance>>Widgets and drag the Blog Subscription (JetPack) widget to a sidebar or other widgetized area. You can customize how it appears on your site:
