With the recent announcement that Google is shutting down Feedburner’s API, we decided to get a jump start on possible replacements for the eNews and Updates widget that is currently inside of Genesis.
While the API shut down won’t affect the functionality of the widget, we will be softly deprecating it in Genesis 1.9 and removing it entirely in 2.0.
This means if you are currently using the eNews and Updates widget, it will still work — just that you won’t be able to add it once Genesis 1.9 is released.
A Great Solution for Genesis Users
One of the biggest complaints and suggestions about our current solution was that it only supported Feedburner.
While Google has a big share of the email marketing space, there are plenty of other companies that are gaining traction and claiming a piece of the pie.
So I personally reached out to Genesis developer and community member Brandon Kraft about the Genesis eNews Extended plugin that he built.
With the Genesis eNews Extended plugin, you can create a new widget to easily add mailing lists integration to a Genesis website.
Currently, the plugin integrates seamlessly with FeedBurner, MailChimp, AWeber, FeedBlitz and Brandon will be adding support for others as they are requested.
We Encourage Community Involvement
You might wonder why we are promoting the Genesis eNews Extended plugin rather than building our own and the answer is simple.
Having similar plugins developed and maintained by different folks would have resulted in a bad user experience.
Especially when the solution that Brandon had created just works.
In addition to that, we want to illustrate how much we appreciate the efforts and contributions of community members.
Take a look at the community themes and community tutorials to see how we promote those who use and build for Genesis.
A Commitment to Excellence
After talking with Brandon, we can assure you that the plugin will be updated and supported as necessary.
We realize how important it is to build your email marketing list and want to make sure you have the tools to do that.
If you have any questions or concerns about the Genesis eNews Extended plugin, feel free to leave a comment below.