Jared
04-15-2010, 09:17 AM
This post is to answer the top 7 issues people buying the support package for this plugin that people are experiencing. Please read this from top to bottom before you put down a single dime of your money because this will save you from frustration and us more public beatings as a result of confusion.
1) This plugin is not a turnkey IDX / RETS solution.
The #1 support request WPRealty gets is related to the notion that by purchasing this plugin you will be able to automatically have IDX or RETS data in your WordPress Blog. We made absolutely certain that this is NOT even casually suggested anywhere in the site as of April 2010 and we are deliberately rewriting the sales material where any possible confusion could be construed.
NOT IDX/RETS OUT OF BOX? THEN WHY WAS THIS PLUGIN DEVELOPED?
WPRealty was developed for a very specific purpose and target audience in mind. Provide WordPress site owners and developers a way to either manually enter listings data into their blog or to dynamically integrate MLS, IDX, RETS type data feeds. IDX / RETS integration is not a turnkey feature, it does require you to use third party scripts we list in the support area. They all work just fine as we have tested them time and time again and we have WPRealty running on sites in over 60 MLS markets at the time of this post.
So who is the target audience?
I'll answer that in the post for "who should use this plugin".
So how do we get MLS listings into our blog?
WPRealty can work with any known MLS where the data is provided in a standards compliant format. Those formats include SQL, CSV, and XML. In order to have listings data put into your WordPress site where you employ WPRealty it is important to note that the plugin DOES NOT COME WITH IDX or RETS IMPORT TOOLS/SCRIPTS as part of the plugin. Why?
When the plugin was built, we knew early on that providing RETS mapping tools would be a great feature and then discovered that the level of liability would not make us very popular with an industry we wish not to compete with.
Therefore, although we are working on a RETS / IDX import plugin to work in concert with WPRealty, we have been suggesting to WPRealty plugin users to either employ us to write a custom script or simply use one of those import scripts like "VieleRETS" that is listed in our IDX post in order to populate the DB with listings.
When people seek turnkey solutions for instant IDX integration we always send them to either Diverse Solutions or HomeQuest or something similar. These companies are NOT our competition. We approach an entirely different market with an entirely different goal.
2) SHARED SERVER LIMITATIONS.
The second most popular support ticket request we receive has everything to do with server issues. Many people host on shared hosting and shared hosting is not ideally configured for MLS type websites of this type. When you read below about who the target audience is you will better understand why. People freaquently ask us why our plugin has limitations in this area when comparring us to other solutions and I'll answer their question like this.
HERE COMES THE IMPORTANT PART
Other WordPress IDX / RETS solutions like Diverse Solutions, HomeQuest, UltimateIDX and others are service providers who offer WordPress plugins as an extension of their service per se. I've had the privilege of working with The Brokers Edge and UltimateIDX both of which are solution providers that follow a similar format nearly all solution providers follow. Solution Providers maintain the MLS data in a single location and then provide access to it by monthly fee to their subscriber base. In essence, they do all the coding and scripting work, they do all the design work, they build a plugin or addon of sorts and they provide this as a turnkey solution for you to very quickly integrate into your WordPress blog. You don't actually host or harbor any data on your actual domain as the data is maintained and hosted by the service provider. These types of companies are ideal for providing turnkey solutions where you are not required to babysit or maintain the data yourself. This is a huge advantage when hosting on a shared server.
WPRealty is different in a way that requires you to be on a hosting platform that has the proper minimum requirements in order to function properly with MLS type data feeds. Hosting MLS data and updating it daily is unlike any other type of hosting you will encounter. With WPRealty and your own data loader feed, you are essentially downloading large data files and images and then processing those files to update your MySQL database and in doing so your server must be resource capable of supporting that.
Minimum Server Requirements for using WPRealty in an MLS environment are;
max_execution time
max_execution time should be at least 90 and up to 180+. Most shared hosting accounts have it set to 30 and higher numbers for max_execution are required because the MLS update scripts can easily exceed 30 seconds of processing of MLS data. The processing involves downloading, extracting, sometimes sorting of the data and then populating the MySQL database with listings data. This all takes script processing time.
Storage Space
As stated above, if you are not plugged into a service providers solution, then you are either hosting the listings images yourself or you are hot linking to the MLS (a popular and growing method MLS's tend to prefer). In either case, you must process the images in some way even if you are simply populating the image table with the names of the remotely linked photos. These all take up large amounts of space. I'll put it into perspective for you. If your MLS has 5,000 listings and your listings are allotted 12 photos per listing and those photos are on average 600x400 you will need an estimated 3GB of space not including the size of other files on your domain and the size of the SQL file. Most shared accounts are simply not setup for this type of space.
The next is fOpen and URL Includes.
Both of these are a valid security concern and hosting companies usually demand that you re-script accordingly or you suffer having the need for either. With real estate websites its not uncommon to need some sort of URL include for things like featured listings in your blog or maybe fopen to download MLS updates in zip or tar.gz format. I can’t count how many times I’ve encountered a situation where our normal download scripts fail to run on many servers. To reach out and access an IDX file via CURL or some other means, the server must first allow this type of connection.
Ports are blocked or closed
The RETS Port is 6103 and nearly every shared hosting solution blocks 6103 by default rendering most RETS scripts useless. If you can't access the required ports, you get no data.
Peak bandwidth and bandwidth throttling.
Part of the hosting game is to pack as many hosting clients as you realistically can on a server in order to justify that 24/7 support with all those exceptional unlimited everything features. The problem with that is the potential to bottle neck the connection and although load balancing and other things can be implemented to solve most of that, a good majority of IT professionals working for these hosting companies opt for some sort of bandwidth throttling. Bandwidth throttling will limit (“throttle”) the quantity of data it transmits and/or accepts within a specified period of time. This can cause some issues beginning with slow site response and time outs for larger commerce or real estate sites. Now its important to note that this isn’t usually associated to DB queries but can none the less include them. If you have several thousand listings and you are a good webmaster and you do the normal updates and exports to Google, Yahoo, MSN and the like. You will receive a spank of traffic for indexing alone and this can tank many sites to the point they become non-responsive. I’ve seen it happen all to often and it has always been revealed to us as being the web hosts safety net, bandwidth throttling. Most shared servers will keep a chain and ball on you so you don't tax every other domain.
So, you will need the following; A server with high max_execution time, large storage space, enough bandwidth to handle the data updates, the right ports to be open and things like lib curl and fopen to be enabled in many circumstances. Anything short of these are limitations that will prevent you from hosting your own MLS empowered WPRealty WordPress site. You may consider one of the service providers mentioned above.
3) Improper File Permissions.
Another frequent tech support request we get is the install failure that happens due to file permissions. The installation of WPRealty requires that a few files in the plugin be written to. If they are not, then the install will fail. Depending on your server will depend on what permission settings must be set. A general rule we tell people is that to test the file permission 755 and if it doesn't work 777. I'm not a fan of 777 but some servers simply wont allow a lower setting.
4) The need to edit the WordPress Theme.
This one happens only a few times a week but is important enough to mention. If you do not understand how to edit your WordPress theme in a few areas then this plugin may be a challenge to you. You are required to add direct calls to specific scripts in some situations where MLS data is being used and in order to do that you should have either FTP access to the files or have permissions set for your themes files that will allow you to edit them in the admin panel of WordPress.
5) Setting Up Fields.
A big issue and one that catches most people off guard is the need to setup fields to match the MLS data feed fields or columns as it is in the case of CSV or Tabbed TEXT data types. In the documentation area we do have a video on this and if its not used or followed, you will experience frustration with this plugin.
6) Managing The Data.
Downloads take time, space and energy and part of the effort set forth is in the managing of the data. Downloaders for MLS IDX and RETS data feeds will break and stop functioning. Its not a question of if, its a question of when. They break for many reasons but most often due to changes from the MLS in field order, name or structure. We at WPRealty frequently fix MLS scripts for people that simply stop working because the MLS data order or structure has changed. MLS's are always updating and they change features, fields and many other things. If you are not prepared to deal with these events, its a dangerous prospect for you to consider this plugin as your solution.
7) Documentation.
WPRealty has been punished for this issue and concede to the fact that documentation to this point has not been helpful. We know this and we are working on rectifying it and ask people to use the forums and the client support area to submit tickets.
Our average ticket time is about 6 hours but can exceed 12 hours on busy days.
So please, before you buy the service support package for this plugin, understand the above challenges you could experience first.
1) This plugin is not a turnkey IDX / RETS solution.
The #1 support request WPRealty gets is related to the notion that by purchasing this plugin you will be able to automatically have IDX or RETS data in your WordPress Blog. We made absolutely certain that this is NOT even casually suggested anywhere in the site as of April 2010 and we are deliberately rewriting the sales material where any possible confusion could be construed.
NOT IDX/RETS OUT OF BOX? THEN WHY WAS THIS PLUGIN DEVELOPED?
WPRealty was developed for a very specific purpose and target audience in mind. Provide WordPress site owners and developers a way to either manually enter listings data into their blog or to dynamically integrate MLS, IDX, RETS type data feeds. IDX / RETS integration is not a turnkey feature, it does require you to use third party scripts we list in the support area. They all work just fine as we have tested them time and time again and we have WPRealty running on sites in over 60 MLS markets at the time of this post.
So who is the target audience?
I'll answer that in the post for "who should use this plugin".
So how do we get MLS listings into our blog?
WPRealty can work with any known MLS where the data is provided in a standards compliant format. Those formats include SQL, CSV, and XML. In order to have listings data put into your WordPress site where you employ WPRealty it is important to note that the plugin DOES NOT COME WITH IDX or RETS IMPORT TOOLS/SCRIPTS as part of the plugin. Why?
When the plugin was built, we knew early on that providing RETS mapping tools would be a great feature and then discovered that the level of liability would not make us very popular with an industry we wish not to compete with.
Therefore, although we are working on a RETS / IDX import plugin to work in concert with WPRealty, we have been suggesting to WPRealty plugin users to either employ us to write a custom script or simply use one of those import scripts like "VieleRETS" that is listed in our IDX post in order to populate the DB with listings.
When people seek turnkey solutions for instant IDX integration we always send them to either Diverse Solutions or HomeQuest or something similar. These companies are NOT our competition. We approach an entirely different market with an entirely different goal.
2) SHARED SERVER LIMITATIONS.
The second most popular support ticket request we receive has everything to do with server issues. Many people host on shared hosting and shared hosting is not ideally configured for MLS type websites of this type. When you read below about who the target audience is you will better understand why. People freaquently ask us why our plugin has limitations in this area when comparring us to other solutions and I'll answer their question like this.
HERE COMES THE IMPORTANT PART
Other WordPress IDX / RETS solutions like Diverse Solutions, HomeQuest, UltimateIDX and others are service providers who offer WordPress plugins as an extension of their service per se. I've had the privilege of working with The Brokers Edge and UltimateIDX both of which are solution providers that follow a similar format nearly all solution providers follow. Solution Providers maintain the MLS data in a single location and then provide access to it by monthly fee to their subscriber base. In essence, they do all the coding and scripting work, they do all the design work, they build a plugin or addon of sorts and they provide this as a turnkey solution for you to very quickly integrate into your WordPress blog. You don't actually host or harbor any data on your actual domain as the data is maintained and hosted by the service provider. These types of companies are ideal for providing turnkey solutions where you are not required to babysit or maintain the data yourself. This is a huge advantage when hosting on a shared server.
WPRealty is different in a way that requires you to be on a hosting platform that has the proper minimum requirements in order to function properly with MLS type data feeds. Hosting MLS data and updating it daily is unlike any other type of hosting you will encounter. With WPRealty and your own data loader feed, you are essentially downloading large data files and images and then processing those files to update your MySQL database and in doing so your server must be resource capable of supporting that.
Minimum Server Requirements for using WPRealty in an MLS environment are;
max_execution time
max_execution time should be at least 90 and up to 180+. Most shared hosting accounts have it set to 30 and higher numbers for max_execution are required because the MLS update scripts can easily exceed 30 seconds of processing of MLS data. The processing involves downloading, extracting, sometimes sorting of the data and then populating the MySQL database with listings data. This all takes script processing time.
Storage Space
As stated above, if you are not plugged into a service providers solution, then you are either hosting the listings images yourself or you are hot linking to the MLS (a popular and growing method MLS's tend to prefer). In either case, you must process the images in some way even if you are simply populating the image table with the names of the remotely linked photos. These all take up large amounts of space. I'll put it into perspective for you. If your MLS has 5,000 listings and your listings are allotted 12 photos per listing and those photos are on average 600x400 you will need an estimated 3GB of space not including the size of other files on your domain and the size of the SQL file. Most shared accounts are simply not setup for this type of space.
The next is fOpen and URL Includes.
Both of these are a valid security concern and hosting companies usually demand that you re-script accordingly or you suffer having the need for either. With real estate websites its not uncommon to need some sort of URL include for things like featured listings in your blog or maybe fopen to download MLS updates in zip or tar.gz format. I can’t count how many times I’ve encountered a situation where our normal download scripts fail to run on many servers. To reach out and access an IDX file via CURL or some other means, the server must first allow this type of connection.
Ports are blocked or closed
The RETS Port is 6103 and nearly every shared hosting solution blocks 6103 by default rendering most RETS scripts useless. If you can't access the required ports, you get no data.
Peak bandwidth and bandwidth throttling.
Part of the hosting game is to pack as many hosting clients as you realistically can on a server in order to justify that 24/7 support with all those exceptional unlimited everything features. The problem with that is the potential to bottle neck the connection and although load balancing and other things can be implemented to solve most of that, a good majority of IT professionals working for these hosting companies opt for some sort of bandwidth throttling. Bandwidth throttling will limit (“throttle”) the quantity of data it transmits and/or accepts within a specified period of time. This can cause some issues beginning with slow site response and time outs for larger commerce or real estate sites. Now its important to note that this isn’t usually associated to DB queries but can none the less include them. If you have several thousand listings and you are a good webmaster and you do the normal updates and exports to Google, Yahoo, MSN and the like. You will receive a spank of traffic for indexing alone and this can tank many sites to the point they become non-responsive. I’ve seen it happen all to often and it has always been revealed to us as being the web hosts safety net, bandwidth throttling. Most shared servers will keep a chain and ball on you so you don't tax every other domain.
So, you will need the following; A server with high max_execution time, large storage space, enough bandwidth to handle the data updates, the right ports to be open and things like lib curl and fopen to be enabled in many circumstances. Anything short of these are limitations that will prevent you from hosting your own MLS empowered WPRealty WordPress site. You may consider one of the service providers mentioned above.
3) Improper File Permissions.
Another frequent tech support request we get is the install failure that happens due to file permissions. The installation of WPRealty requires that a few files in the plugin be written to. If they are not, then the install will fail. Depending on your server will depend on what permission settings must be set. A general rule we tell people is that to test the file permission 755 and if it doesn't work 777. I'm not a fan of 777 but some servers simply wont allow a lower setting.
4) The need to edit the WordPress Theme.
This one happens only a few times a week but is important enough to mention. If you do not understand how to edit your WordPress theme in a few areas then this plugin may be a challenge to you. You are required to add direct calls to specific scripts in some situations where MLS data is being used and in order to do that you should have either FTP access to the files or have permissions set for your themes files that will allow you to edit them in the admin panel of WordPress.
5) Setting Up Fields.
A big issue and one that catches most people off guard is the need to setup fields to match the MLS data feed fields or columns as it is in the case of CSV or Tabbed TEXT data types. In the documentation area we do have a video on this and if its not used or followed, you will experience frustration with this plugin.
6) Managing The Data.
Downloads take time, space and energy and part of the effort set forth is in the managing of the data. Downloaders for MLS IDX and RETS data feeds will break and stop functioning. Its not a question of if, its a question of when. They break for many reasons but most often due to changes from the MLS in field order, name or structure. We at WPRealty frequently fix MLS scripts for people that simply stop working because the MLS data order or structure has changed. MLS's are always updating and they change features, fields and many other things. If you are not prepared to deal with these events, its a dangerous prospect for you to consider this plugin as your solution.
7) Documentation.
WPRealty has been punished for this issue and concede to the fact that documentation to this point has not been helpful. We know this and we are working on rectifying it and ask people to use the forums and the client support area to submit tickets.
Our average ticket time is about 6 hours but can exceed 12 hours on busy days.
So please, before you buy the service support package for this plugin, understand the above challenges you could experience first.