TimeTides
type: channel
description: James Hanback, Jr.'s writing, publishing, and WordPress plugin blog
date: 2020-01-22T23:48:53Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
generator agent: https://wordpress.org/
items: Amazon Product Advertising API Update Affects ScrapeAZon Plugin
items: Configure ScrapeAZon for WordPress
items: Book Previewer Plugin for WordPress Now Available
items: GoodReviews 2.0.0 Plugin Released for WordPress 3.8 And Later
items: ScrapeAZon Plugin for WordPress 2.0.0 Released
items: How I Spent My Summer (OK, Year-and-a-Half) Vacation
items: Giving Instead of Giving Back
items: The Never-Clean Closet
items: Something Shiny!
items: ‘It’s Tennessee Williams in Hell’

Amazon Product Advertising API Update Affects ScrapeAZon Plugin
type: item
creator: James Hanback Jr.
date: 2020-01-22T23:48:38Z
subject: Plugin
subject: advertising api
subject: amazon
subject: retrieval
subject: reviews
subject: scrapeazon
subject: update
description: On January 22, 2020, the Amazon Associates program announced that it will end support for the Product Advertising API version 4.0 on March 9, 2020. The program will instead migrate to version 5.0 of the API. Version 5.0 of the API removes support for retrieving customer reviews on a given product. The post Amazon Product Advertising API Update Affects ScrapeAZon Plugin appeared first on TimeTides.
encoded: Note: In May of 2019, all three of my plugins (ScrapeAZon, GoodReviews, and Book Previewer) were adopted by another developer. Therefore, I no longer provide direct support for these plugins. Should you require support, please use the WordPress support forum for the appropriate plugin. I am posting the following information just as a courtesy to any plugin user who happens upon my site seeking help or information. On January 22, 2020, the Amazon Associates program announced that it will end support for the Product Advertising API version 4.0 on March 9, 2020. The program will instead migrate to version 5.0 of the API. Version 5.0 of the API removes support for retrieving customer reviews on a given product. This migration will apparently create a couple of issues for any Product Advertising API user: If you continue to use the Product Advertising API in any capacity, you will be required to migrate your AWS credentials to new Product Advertising API credentials using Amazon Associates Central. The ScrapeAZon plugin will no longer be able to retrieve reviews from the Product Advertising API as of March 9, 2020. As of this writing (January 2020), the ScrapeAZon plugin still does and always has relied on the Amazon Product Advertising API in order to retrieve reviews because retrieving reviews in any other form was considered a violation of Amazon’s Terms of Service. Therefore, with the March 9, 2020, migration to version 5.0 of the API, Amazon has essentially rendered the plugin obsolete because the plugin will no longer be able to retrieve reviews by using the API. I no longer maintain ScrapeAZon, nor do I intend to attempt to develop any other solutions for review retrieval from Amazon.com. If you are a ScrapeAZon user, I appreciate the support you’ve offered the plugin all these years. I am sad to see Amazon’s support for affiliate display of their product reviews apparently come to an end. As with anything, it’s possible that Amazon will change their mind and rein…

Configure ScrapeAZon for WordPress
type: item
creator: James Hanback Jr.
date: 2015-01-09T14:00:51Z
subject: Books
subject: Plugin
subject: Publishing
subject: Reviews
subject: WordPress
subject: amazon
subject: configure
subject: howto
subject: reviews
subject: scrapeazon
subject: wordpress
description: Configuring the ScrapeAZon Plugin for WordPress for the first time requires you to obtain an Amazon Affiliate ID and an Amazon Product Advertising API Access Key/Secret Key pair. This process can be confusing. The following guide provides step-by-step instructions for establishing your Amazon Affiliate ID and API credentials. Additionally, this guide describes how to configure […] The post Configure ScrapeAZon for WordPress appeared first on TimeTides.
encoded: Configuring the ScrapeAZon Plugin for WordPress for the first time requires you to obtain an Amazon Affiliate ID and an Amazon Product Advertising API Access Key/Secret Key pair. This process can be confusing. The following guide provides step-by-step instructions for establishing your Amazon Affiliate ID and API credentials. Additionally, this guide describes how to configure ScrapeAZon in WordPress after you have obtained your Amazon credentials. This guide does not cover how to use the ScrapeAZon shortcode in a page or post. That topic will be covered in a separate post. Table of Contents How to Obtain an Amazon Affiliate ID How to Obtain Access to the Amazon Product Advertising API How to Install ScrapeAZon How to Configure ScrapeAZon How to Verify That ScrapeAZon Is Working How to Optimize ScrapeAZon Performance How to Troubleshoot ScrapeAZon If You Encounter Problems How to Obtain an Amazon Affiliate ID An Amazon.com Affiliate ID is an identifier that Amazon.com uses to track referral sales. Amazon uses the Affiliate ID in combination with a Product Advertising API Access Key and Secret Key to authenticate an affiliate to the API. Without an Affiliate ID, you will not be able to access the Amazon Product Advertising API. As such, you will not be able to use the ScrapeAZon Plugin for WordPress. Below is a step-by-step process for obtaining an Amazon.com Affiliate ID: Visit the Amazon Affiliate Program Page. Click the Join Now for Free button. Sign in to Amazon by using your regular Amazon.com (or Amazon International site) credentials. Provide your Amazon payee information (name and address). Click the Next: Your Website Profile button. If there are problems with the information you entered, Amazon will automatically recommend changes. Fill in your Web site profile information. Amazon will use the information you provide to automatically generate an Amazon Affiliate ID for you. You will also receive an e-mail that contains the ID. Click the Next button. Amazon …

Book Previewer Plugin for WordPress Now Available
type: item
creator: James Hanback Jr.
date: 2014-09-04T10:30:32Z
subject: Books
subject: Plugin
subject: Publishing
subject: WordPress
subject: book
subject: free
subject: inside
subject: plugin
subject: preview
subject: sample
subject: wordpress
description: The Book Previewer Plugin for WordPress is now available for download from the WordPress Plugin Repository. Book Previewer enables you to use a shortcode to retrieve and display Google Books previews of titles you specify. The shortcode can be used on any WordPress page or post. Book Previewer supports all of the following book identifiers: […] The post Book Previewer Plugin for WordPress Now Available appeared first on TimeTides.
encoded: <img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/media.timetides.com/wp-ttcontent/uploads/2014/09/bookpreviewer-256x256.png?resize=150%2C150" alt="Book Previewer Plugin" width="150" height="150" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-822" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/media.timetides.com/wp-ttcontent/uploads/2014/09/bookpreviewer-256x256.png?resize=150%2C150 150w, https://i0.wp.com/media.timetides.com/wp-ttcontent/uploads/2014/09/bookpreviewer-256x256.png?resize=256%2C256 256w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /> The Book Previewer Plugin for WordPress is now available for download from the WordPress Plugin Repository. Book Previewer enables you to use a shortcode to retrieve and display Google Books previews of titles you specify. The shortcode can be used on any WordPress page or post. Book Previewer supports all of the following book identifiers: International Standard Book Number (ISBN) Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) Google Play Generated Key (GGKEY) A preview of your title must already exist in Google Books in order to use this plugin. You can obtain more information about the Google Books/Google Play Partner programs at Google. Book Previewer supports the following three modes of operation: embedded: allows you to embed the preview directly on a page or post popup: allows you to display a Google Preview button that pops up a preview of your book link: allows you to display a Google Preview button that links directly to the preview of your book on Google Play/Google Books Installing the Book Previewer Plugin Book Previewer version 1.0.0 can be downloaded and installed from within WordPress. You can also download Book Previewer directly from the WordPress repository. Supporting the Book Previewer Plugin If you would like to contribute to the development of future versions of Book Previewer, you can do so by purchasing an ebook from this publisher. Seeing the Book Preview…

GoodReviews 2.0.0 Plugin Released for WordPress 3.8 And Later
type: item
creator: James Hanback Jr.
date: 2014-06-25T15:41:41Z
subject: Books
subject: Plugin
subject: Publishing
subject: books
subject: goodreads
subject: goodreviews
subject: plugin
subject: readers
subject: repository
subject: reviews
subject: wordpress
description: Version 2.0.0 of GoodReviews Plugin for WordPress is available for download from the WordPress plugin repository. This is the most current version of the plugin. This version of GoodReviews requires WordPress version 3.8 or later. Version 2.0.0 is a complete rewrite of the plugin that enables it to better integrate with WordPress as a whole. […] The post GoodReviews 2.0.0 Plugin Released for WordPress 3.8 And Later appeared first on TimeTides.
encoded: Version 2.0.0 of GoodReviews Plugin for WordPress is available for download from the WordPress plugin repository. This is the most current version of the plugin. This version of GoodReviews requires WordPress version 3.8 or later. Version 2.0.0 is a complete rewrite of the plugin that enables it to better integrate with WordPress as a whole. New features include: Plugin has been completely rewritten to better integrate with the WordPress Settings API. Now shows ratings count for all editions of a title. Added widgets for book buying links, book information, and book reviews. Added support for styling the output in a more responsive way. Added support for WordPress localization (i18n). Added support for HTTP retries and an exponential backoff method of dealing with throttling problems. Added support for context-sensitive help on the Settings page. Added support for an uninstall process that removes all settings and plugin files. Added support for a shortcut parameter that disables the reviews pane. You must have a GoodReads developer API key in order to use this plugin. You only need the developer access key to use GoodReviews, not the secret key. Installing GoodReviews GoodReviews version 2.0.0 can be downloaded and installed from within WordPress. You can also download GoodReviews directly from the WordPress repository. Upgrading GoodReviews You can upgrade to version 2.0.0 from any previous version of GoodReviews by using the plugin updater built into WordPress. Your current settings should remain intact. Supporting GoodReviews Development If you would like to contribute to the development of future versions of GoodReviews, you can do so by purchasing an ebook from this publisher. The post GoodReviews 2.0.0 Plugin Released for WordPress 3.8 And Later appeared first on TimeTides.

ScrapeAZon Plugin for WordPress 2.0.0 Released
type: item
creator: James Hanback Jr.
date: 2014-05-03T19:23:44Z
subject: Books
subject: Plugin
subject: Publishing
subject: WordPress
subject: amazon
subject: amazon.com
subject: customer
subject: plugin
subject: reviews
subject: scrapeazon
subject: stars
subject: wordpress
description: Version 2.0.0 of ScrapeAZon Plugin for WordPress is available for download from the WordPress plugin repository. This is the most current version of the plugin. Version 2.0.0 is a complete rewrite of the plugin that enables it to better integrate with WordPress as a whole. New features include: An exponential backoff routine that enables ScrapeAZon […] The post ScrapeAZon Plugin for WordPress 2.0.0 Released appeared first on TimeTides.
encoded: Version 2.0.0 of ScrapeAZon Plugin for WordPress is available for download from the WordPress plugin repository. This is the most current version of the plugin. Version 2.0.0 is a complete rewrite of the plugin that enables it to better integrate with WordPress as a whole. New features include: An exponential backoff routine that enables ScrapeAZon to periodically retry connections to the Amazon Product Advertising API when HTTP errors or throttling occurs. A new built-in style sheet that can be enabled on sites with responsive design; the style sheet attempts to scale ScrapeAZon’s output for responsive sites, even if the Amazon Product Advertising API content cannot be directly scaled An “Amazon Reviews” widget that can be accessed from the Appearance > Widgets menu within WordPress; the widget can be used in addition to or in place of the classic ScrapeAZon shortcode ScrapeAZon Prerequisites You must be a participant in both the Amazon.com Affiliate Program and the Amazon.com Product Advertising API in order to use this plugin. When you sign up for the Product Advertising API, you will be able to create an Access Key and a Secret Key for your account. It is very important that you download these keys and store them in a safe place after creation because Amazon will only allow you to view the Secret Key once. You will need both the Access Key and the Secret Key in order to use ScrapeAZon. Installing ScrapeAZon ScrapeAZon version 2.0.0 can be downloaded and installed from within WordPress. You can also download ScrapeAZon directly from the WordPress repository. Upgrading ScrapeAZon You can upgrade to version 2.0.0 from any previous version of ScrapeAZon by using the plugin updater built into WordPress. Your current settings should remain intact. Supporting ScrapeAZon Development If you would like to contribute to the development of future versions of ScrapeAZon, you can do so by purchasing an ebook from this publisher. The post ScrapeAZon Plugin for WordPress 2.0.0 …

How I Spent My Summer (OK, Year-and-a-Half) Vacation
type: item
creator: James Hanback Jr.
date: 2013-12-14T17:12:51Z
subject: Boson
subject: Editing
subject: IT Certification
subject: Publishing
subject: blogging
subject: time
subject: vacation
subject: writing
description: A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking. –Earl Wilson Read more at BrainyQuote One big problem with maintaining a blog about–well, about anything–is that you set yourself up with certain expectations about your productivity. Usually it starts with a stream of consciousness daydream that ultimately leads […] The post How I Spent My Summer (OK, Year-and-a-Half) Vacation appeared first on TimeTides.
encoded: A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking. –Earl Wilson Read more at BrainyQuote One big problem with maintaining a blog about–well, about anything–is that you set yourself up with certain expectations about your productivity. Usually it starts with a stream of consciousness daydream that ultimately leads to this revelation: “Hey, I should write that down!” Then you start thinking “Hey, I’ve got more stuff I think about that I should write down.” And so you do. For a while. You spend days or weeks putting fingers to keyboard, trying to be clever, crowing a little and maybe even eating a little crow. All to the good. Then life creeps in. Suddenly you find yourself thinking, “Ok, I really don’t have time to come up with another blog idea this week, so I’ll skip this week and put something up next week. Only two or three people read this thing and it’s mostly for me anyway.” Then next week comes. And the next. And the next. Before you know it, July 2012 is long in the past and you begin to wonder what happened to the dude with all the ideas he wanted to post about. Where did all that energy go? You discover that you’ve taken a year-and-a-half unintended vacation from your blogging, so as far as the Interwebs is concerned, you might as well have died. Fact is, I can’t really account for where it all went. One minute I was thinking about posting here. The next I’d forgotten all about it and was well into some other project or mundane task. However, I do take some solace in the fact that I have not been goofing off all this time. In fact, I’ve been quite busy. Here are a few things that have happened in the past year: WordPress Plugins I updated both my WordPress plugins (ScrapeAZon and GoodReviews) with some new features and fixes. As of this writing, I’m testing the latest versions in WordPress 3.8. Ebook Publishing I played a small part in ushering some writer friends (one known and one unknown) into the age of ebooks by performing…

Giving Instead of Giving Back
type: item
creator: James Hanback Jr.
date: 2012-07-05T13:00:54Z
subject: Publishing
subject: charity
subject: children's
subject: dogs
subject: illustrations
subject: illustrator
subject: writing
description: A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog. –Jack London Every now and then, a person who is ordinarily wrapped up in his or her own day-to-day life and problems will see a news story, a post on […] The post Giving Instead of Giving Back appeared first on TimeTides.
encoded: A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog. –Jack London Every now and then, a person who is ordinarily wrapped up in his or her own day-to-day life and problems will see a news story, a post on Facebook, or some other information conduit that spurs him or her to action. Be it the burned down home of an struggling family, the passionate support of a political cause, or the hurtful neglect of an innocent pet, the story touches the heart and fires the soul. It is those times that the creatives of the world are often at their best. Michael Jackson was moved by stories of drought and famine in Africa to enlist the aid of other artists in “We Are The World.” More than two decades later, musicians united to re-record the song to raise money for victims of a particularly violent earthquake in Haiti. Many times, you hear the rich and famous state that they simply wanted to give back to the people who have so blessed them. I won’t criticize those efforts. They are meaningful and important and the right thing to do. However, I am more often moved by the giving and community service efforts of those who are not so high profile, those who cannot necessarily afford to donate large sums of cash and whose faces are not famous enough to prompt the average citizen to open their wallets for a worthy cause. That’s why I am particularly excited right now about the release of a new children’s book that was mostly authored by my wife, Paula, and illustrated by my 12-year-old step-daughter Laura. The book, My Name Is Walter, is based on the true story of a cocker spaniel/poodle mix who was thrown out of a moving vehicle in Nashville, Tennessee in the spring of 2012. The dog was in atrocious shape. His fur was so matted that his rescuers, a city councilman and a local dog rescue operation, were unable to determine his sex until veterinarians shaved him. He was also starving. For two weeks, Nashvillians and the world wat…

The Never-Clean Closet
type: item
creator: James Hanback Jr.
date: 2012-06-11T14:30:11Z
subject: Publishing
subject: writing
description: There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. –Maya Angelou The process of packing, whether for a trip or to move to a new location, often results in a mental divergence from the goal of closing the suitcase and toward the memories that are invoked by the particular objects you are […] The post The Never-Clean Closet appeared first on TimeTides.
encoded: There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. –Maya Angelou The process of packing, whether for a trip or to move to a new location, often results in a mental divergence from the goal of closing the suitcase and toward the memories that are invoked by the particular objects you are packing. Perhaps it’s the subtle aroma of an old paperback book you’ve cracked open that recalls memories of reading a particularly gripping novel under the golden afternoon sun of a lazy summer day. Or maybe it’s an old photograph that prompts memories of a new and exciting time in your life that you sometimes wish you could revisit. Then again, it could be something like a story idea list, a hastily scribbled assortment of characters, events, settings, or plots that, once upon a time, struck you as something you must write but for some reason never did. I have such a list. It is a long list. Occasionally, I rediscover it hidden among the files and folders I use every day. At those times, I am confronted with three choices: I can despair over the fact that I’ve never forced myself to make time to flesh out those ideas, I can sit down and force myself to flesh them out, or I can strike them from the list and abandon them as bad ideas and wastes of time. I can tell you that I seldom use that last option. That is why I refer to my idea list as the never-clean closet. Although I am not fool enough to believe that every idea is a good idea, I am optimistic enough to hope that I can take the ideas and sketches I’ve jotted down and flesh them out, if for no other reason than to see where they lead. How can you know whether your story is a good one unless you write it first? Alas, there are literally dozens of ideas on the list, which technically spans multiple files, and only so many minutes in a day that I can devote to writing for my own pleasure and edification. Thus, the never-clean closet remains stacked full of could-bes and maybe-somedays, always with the rationale t…

Something Shiny!
type: item
creator: James Hanback Jr.
date: 2012-05-28T13:17:26Z
subject: Publishing
subject: time travel
subject: writing
description: I’ve posted a new guest blog over at amwriting.org. Remember how technological advancement was supposed to make life so much easier? A few days ago, I sat in a restaurant watching my step-daughter work some of her amazing illustrative magic with her pencil and sketchpad while we awaited the delivery of our meals. I thought […] The post Something Shiny! appeared first on TimeTides.
encoded: I’ve posted a new guest blog over at amwriting.org. Remember how technological advancement was supposed to make life so much easier? A few days ago, I sat in a restaurant watching my step-daughter work some of her amazing illustrative magic with her pencil and sketchpad while we awaited the delivery of our meals. I thought to myself, How nice it would be if I could just sit down and work like that whenever I’m waiting on something or someone else. That thought was immediately followed by that problem-solving voice in my head; the one I developed after having spent more than a decade solving other people’s information technology problems. Why can’t you? it asked. Read the entire post here. The post Something Shiny! appeared first on TimeTides.

‘It’s Tennessee Williams in Hell’
type: item
creator: James Hanback Jr.
date: 2012-04-29T23:31:02Z
subject: Features
subject: horror
subject: john mellencamp
subject: stephen king
subject: theater
description: Cause we’re brothers, brothers, brothers I don’t approve of anything you do Cause we’re brothers, brothers, brothers Cain and Abel and me and you –John Mellencamp, “Brothers” For more than thirty years, I’ve been listening to John Mellencamp sing about the struggles of life, love, race, and redemption. For approximately that same amount of time, […] The post ‘It’s Tennessee Williams in Hell’ appeared first on TimeTides.
encoded: Cause we’re brothers, brothers, brothers I don’t approve of anything you do Cause we’re brothers, brothers, brothers Cain and Abel and me and you –John Mellencamp, “Brothers” For more than thirty years, I’ve been listening to John Mellencamp sing about the struggles of life, love, race, and redemption. For approximately that same amount of time, I’ve been reading Stephen King’s stories about the struggles of good versus evil and…well, redemption. Ever since I learned that the two idols of my youth had collaborated to create the Southern gothic musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, I’ve been bouncing around the Internet like a puppy chasing a tennis ball, looking for any news or information I could find about the production. With boundless anticipation I waited, longing for the announcement of show dates much the way neophiles slobber over rumors about the latest Apple gadget. At long last, on April 28, I attended the matinee showing of Ghost Brothers. I was not disappointed. True to the character of both artists’ previous works, Ghost Brothers is, at its core, a tale of redemption. Two present-day siblings, Frank and Drake McCandless, are constantly at each other’s throats, much to the chagrin of their beleaguered father, Joe “Skunk” McCandless, and their no-nonsense steel magnolia of a mother, Monique. When the rivalry becomes violent–to the point of Drake breaking Frank’s arm–Joe attempts to intervene. He calls a meeting at the family’s cabin in Lake Belle Reve, Mississippi, hoping to accomplish two objectives: to prevent his sons from killing each other and to clear his own conscience. Meanwhile, Frank has formed a relationship with Drake’s girlfriend, Anna, who only stokes the fires of the brothers’ animosity. It turns out that the boys’ uncles, Joe’s older brothers Jack and Andy, had in 1967 allowed their own rivalry to fester to the point that it cost both of them their lives, not to mention the life of their mutual love interest Jenna and (possibly) Dan …