A Floating Share Bar Superior to the Rest
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As a WordPress user, I like plugins that work right out of the box. Awhile back, I went searching for a floating share bar like the one you see to the left. I tried more than half a dozen different plugins and I was disappointed by all of them. The one I finally settled on–not the one you see to the left–was simply called, Sharebar. While it didn’t overlap the blog content in smaller browser windows like the rest, I did have to tweak my theme’s CSS quite a bit to get it to look right.
Upon reading Buffer App’s blog today and learning they acquired a plugin called, Digg Digg, I decided to try it out. I was impressed. In fact, it’s the one I’m using now.
First of all, it worked right out of the box. I installed it, activated it, and it appeared just as you see now. I did not have to mess with CSS and there are no issues with it at all. It doesn’t cover my content in smaller windows and it doesn’t move and “get stuck” in a weird position on the screen like Sharebar did quite often. It just works. Score one for Digg Digg.
Second of all, it looks great. It may not scroll like some of the others, but I fill it so full with share buttons I wouldn’t want it to scroll. If it did, some of the buttons would be hidden to visitors on smaller monitors. Also, the white glow effect is a nice touch.
Last but not least, Digg Digg provides options galore when it comes to share buttons. It includes Twitter, Facebook Share, Facebook Like, Google +1, Buffer, Stumbleupon, LinkedIn, Delicious, Reddit, Google Buzz, DZone, Topsy, Digg, Yahoo Buzz, DesignBump, Serpd, TheWebBlend, BlogEngage, Flattr, Pinterest, and TweetMeme. It has all the major players and even a few social media bench-warmers. It’s not surprising they added Buffer to the list, but I’m sure glad they did. I had to manually add it when I was using Sharebar.
Digg Digg also allows you order your buttons however you want and include/exclude any you choose. It is, in my humble opinion, the best floating share bar available for WordPress.
Update: I spoke too soon. I did find one minor bug with Digg Digg. Somehow it removes the first paragraph tag in my blog post which messes up the format of the first paragraph.
Missing paragraph tag
I’m not sure yet what is causing this but I’ll keep you posted in case it happens to you as well.
Update: I’ve been in touch with the Buffer team and they are working on the issue. Until then, I’ve reverted back to using the Sharebar plugin.
Update: I’m still using the Sharebar plugin. Buffer has fixed the previous problem but there seems to be other issues with my site’s theme working together with Digg Digg and other WordPress plugins. Chances are, most themes will be compatible and Digg Digg will work nicely.
About The Author
Jeremy Sarber
I'm the pastor of one of the most blessed churches in all the world. I'm married to the most wonderful woman to walk the face of the earth. I'm host of possibly the most unconventional podcast on the Internet. I am thankful because I deserve none of it. Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email
