=== Q&A by Degree3 === Contributors: joeldowns Tags: Q&A, social Q&A, support, community, customer service, help, FAQ, forum, forums, comments, sidebar, answers, message board, message boards, backlinks, customer support, spanish, español, russian, french, chinese, italian, bulgarian Requires: 2.0 Tested up to: 3.5.1 Stable tag: trunk Add social Q&A to improve user retention, generate content, and engage your users throughout your site. Free and premium plans available! == Description == [Degree3](http://degree3.com?utm_source=d3pluginreadme&utm_medium=wordpressplugin&utm_campaign=intro) brings the power of Social Q&A to your site, from the brains that first pioneered Q&A with [Answerbag.com](http://answerbag.com). We add Q&A to each and every page, allowing your visitors to ask and answer questions directly in context and to find relevant answers quickly. It's the easiest way to improve retention, build up educational and support-related content, and engage your visitors, all at once, at no charge. = Why Q&A you ask? Good question = * Build retention! 70% of searchers who don't find their answers right away go straight back to search. Give them an easy way to ask questions, and they're more likely to stick around and come back when they get their answers! (AskYourTargetMarket Survey, July 2011) * Forums scare people off! Typical web surfers are TWICE AS LIKELY to use Q&A to ask a question rather than comments or forums. (AskYourTargetMarket Survey, July 2011) * Strengthen community! People are naturally helpful, let your visitors help each other! * Generate loyalty! We help you recognize your experts and build lasting relationships with them * Reduce Support Costs! Our Q&A shows the most relevant answers first, and visitors can search your Q&A easily. * Build a Q&A database! Add the best answers to your FAQ with 1 click. * Community, Content, and Support, and Marketing, all in one! = Features = * Bring users back to your site via email alerts to read answers, vote on answers, and discuss * Instant search of existing Q&A * FAQ Builder * No-hassle sign-in requires only a name and email address or Facebook login * Full moderation powers to hide questions or answers * Option to review Q&A before they show on your site * Get keyword-rich backlinks on Degree3.com for EVERY question asked = Support = Have questions? Requests? We'd love to hear from you! Find us on: * [Degree3 Support](http://degree3.com/publisher/support?utm_source=d3pluginreadme&utm_medium=wordpressplugin&utm_campaign=support) * [Twitter](http://twitter.com/dgree3) * [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/degree3.qna) == Frequently Asked Questions == = How can I moderate my Q&A? = Before you can moderate, you will need to [register your plugin at Degree3](http://degree3.com/publisher/signup?utm_source=d3pluginreadme&utm_medium=wordpressplugin&utm_campaign=signup). From your site, open up the popup window by clicking "Ask a question" in the plugin. Make sure you are signed in using the *same* account you used to register the plugin, and there within the popup you should see moderation tools. On the main page, you'll see "Hide" links next to every question, and if you click through to a question, you'll see "Hide" links below each answer. = Can I customize the look and feel of my plugin? = Yes! After registering your Community on Degree3.com, you'll have access to your Theme Editor. = Can I hide the Degree3 branding? = Yes! Whitelabeling is an option available with our [Premium Plans](http://degree3.com/plans?utm_source=d3pluginreadme&utm_medium=wordpressplugin&utm_campaign=learn_more_plans) = How do I know when I have new questions on my site? = Make sure you have registered your plugin at [Degree3](http://degree3.com?utm_source=d3pluginreadme&utm_medium=wordpressplugin&utm_campaign=faq), and make sure you have entered your Site ID in your plugin's Settings page, and then you will receive daily emails with all of the new activity on your site. = Does the plugin help my SEO? = Every question that your visitors post to your site also shows on Degree3.com where it is crawlable by search engines, and each one of those questions provides keyword-rich, deep backlinks to your site which are very helpful for SEO. = Will the plugin be available in X language? = We have 15 languages currently. If you'd like to help translate, please contact us at support@degree3.com! = Can I have a full Q&A page on my site? = You can do this by using one of the Degree3 shortcodes in the main column of a Page. (See the Installation section) = Do visitors need to log in to use Q&A on my site? = We require a minimum of a name and email address so we can send your visitors answers or other feedback from the site via email. = Do you support a moderation queue so I can review Q&A before they go live? = We do! When you register your plugin on Degree3.com, you can enable this setting. = I'm not sure I get it...how does this really work? = You can see our Q&A Communities in action in our [demo video](http://vimeo.com/degree3/tour) = Where can I get more help? = Come visit our [Support page](http://degree3.com/publisher/support?utm_source=d3pluginreadme&utm_medium=wordpressplugin&utm_campaign=support)! == Installation == 1. Upload the contents of the zip file to your '/wp-content/plugins' directory. The files should all be within a folder called 'degree3-qa' 1. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in Wordpress. You now have the basic plugin working! 1. For full control of your Q&A and daily activity email digests, [Go to Degree3 to sign up for a FREE account](http://degree3.com/publisher/signup?utm_source=d3pluginreadme&utm_medium=wordpressplugin&utm_campaign=signup). 1. Next, [go to your Degree3 Dashboard and record your Site ID](http://degree3.com/publisher/dashboard?utm_source=d3pluginreadme&utm_medium=wordpressplugin&utm_campaign=dashboard). You'll need that later. 1. Back on your Wordpress site, click the 'Settings' link 1. Enter your Site ID and save your settings 1. If you want your Q&A to appear in a widget, go to your Wordpress "Appearance -> Widgets" menu, and drag your Degree3 widget into the section of your choice 1. If you'd rather embed the plugin in the text of a page, you can use the following shortcodes `[d3_module]` for the module only, `[d3_tab]` for the tab only, or `[d3_tabmodule]` for both. On your Degree3 Settings page on Wordpress, set "Layout" to "Use shortcode." Shortcodes `[d3_module]` and `[d3_tabmodule]` support arguments allowing you to specify the number of questions to show, like `[d3_module qcount="5"]`, or specifying the category of questions to show, like `[d3_module category="10"]`. You can create your categories on Degree3.com after registering. [What's a shortcode?](http://en.support.wordpress.com/shortcodes/) == Screenshots == 1. Q&A Module in right sidebar. If there are no questions on this page, it backfills with popular questions from other pages 2. Q&A Popup over page. Ask a question, or help someone out! 3. Q&A Popup showing a question with answers. Visitors can "thank" answers, so the best ones rise to the top! 4. The "Tab" layout appears at the right side of your page, next to the scrollbar == Changelog == = 1.4 = * Added question moderation dashboard within Wordpress admin = 1.3.2 = * Support for Romanian language = 1.3.1 = * New option to block plugin from appearing on a specific page = 1.3.0 = * SSL Support = 1.2.7 = * Supporting UTF-8 encoded characters in the Module Intro Text = 1.2.6 = * Added languages: Arabic and Norwegian = 1.2.5 = * Added support for categories and backfill through the shortcode = 1.2.4 = * Added languages: Portuguese and Serbian = 1.2.3 = * Added support for FAQ Module (For premium plans) = 1.2.2 = * Added question count argument for shortcodes = 1.2.1 = * Updated to use new plugin code = 1.2 = * Premium Q&A Communities Released = 1.1.14 = * Bugfix release = 1.1.13b = * Bugfix to address some sites not seeing the tab on the side of the page = 1.1.13 = * Now allow usage of shortcodes at the same time as site-wide settings. Shortcodes will take precedence in the case of a conflict. = 1.1.12 = * Added shortcodes for the module with the tab and for the tab only for more flexibility = 1.1.11 = * Updated shortcode to work in conjunction with the tab, so the module (using shortcode) and tab can both appear. = 1.1.10 = * Added option to change the number of questions that appear in the module = 1.1.9 = * Added layout option to show the Tab and the Module at the same time. = 1.1.8 = * Fixed bug that caused plugin not to appear for some users. = 1.1.7 = * Admin can control if Q&A shows on posts and pages, index pages, or both = 1.1.6 = * Fixed bug with the Backfill Questions setting * Added Bulgarian and Italian language support = 1.1.5 = * Added Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) and Farsi (Persian) = 1.1.4 = * Administrators can now lock questions, preventing new answers * Added option to change the introductory text in the widget * Added Danish support = 1.1.3 = * Now available in German = 1.1.2 = * Now available in French, the language of love = 1.1.1 = * Added Russian-language support! = 1.1 = * Added Spanish-language support! = 1.0.3 = * Sites are no longer required to provide a Site ID = 1.0.2 = * Added option to display a "Questions" tab on the side of your page (next to the scroll bar) instead of the Q&A module within your site layout = 1.0.1 = * Added option to hide Q&A from other pages on the site in the module (so it only shows questions asked on the current page.) = 1.0 = * First official release == Upgrade Notice == = 1.4 = Update for new question moderation dashboard within Wordpress admin (beta)! = 1.3.2 = Support for Romanian language = 1.3.1 = New option to block plugin from appearing on a specific page = 1.3.0 = REQUIRED UPGRADE: SSL Support = 1.2.7 = Supporting UTF-8 encoded characters in the Module Intro Text = 1.2.6 = Added languages: Arabic and Norwegian = 1.2.5 = Added support for categories and backfill through the shortcode = 1.2.4 = Added languages: Portuguese and Serbian = 1.2.3 = Upgrade for support for the FAQ Module (for premium plans) = 1.2.2 = Upgrade to use question count arguments with shortcodes = 1.2.1 = Update your plugin to ensure that premium addons such as whitelabeling work correctly. = 1.2 = Premium Q&A Communities Released = 1.1.14 = Bugfix release = 1.1.13b = Bugfix to address some sites not seeing the tab on the side of the page = 1.1.13 = Now allow usage of shortcodes at the same time as site-wide settings. Shortcodes will take precedence in the case of a conflict. = 1.1.12 = Added shortcodes for the module with the tab and for the tab only for more flexibility = 1.1.11 = Updated shortcode to work in conjunction with the tab, so the module (using shortcode) and tab can both appear. = 1.1.10 = Added option to change the number of questions that appear in the module = 1.1.9 = Added layout option to show the Tab and the Module at the same time. = 1.1.8 = Fixed bug that caused plugin not to appear for some users. = 1.1.7 = Upgrade for new admin setting that controls if Q&A shows on posts and pages, index pages, or both = 1.1.6 = Upgrade to get bugfix on Backfill Questions setting, and Bulgarian and Italian language support = 1.1.5 = Upgrade for support for Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) and Farsi (Persian) = 1.1.4 = Administrators can now lock questions, preventing new answers Added option to change the introductory text in the widget Added Danish support = 1.1.3 = Now available in German = 1.1.2 = Now available in French, the language of love = 1.1.1 = Update to get Russian-language support = 1.1 = ¡Ahora disponible en español! After updating, go to your Settings page to set your language. = 1.0.3 = Site IDs are no longer required - just install the plugin, and you're on your way = 1.0.2 = This version supports the "Tab" layout where a "Questions" tab sits on the side of your site, so there is no need to integrate a full module into your layout. = 1.0.1 = This version allows you to hide Q&A backfill in the module, so questions that were not asked on that specific page won't show up. We recommend sites that cover a broad range of topics turn off Q&A backfill.