Securing VMs, Hosts, Kubernetes, and Cloud Services

The 48th IT Press Tour had the opportunity to meet with Suresh Vasudevan, CEO of Sysdig. Their mission is to accelerate and secure cloud innovation.

Falco is the open-source standard for cloud-native threat detection. It monitors system events coming from the kernel and supports hosts, containers, and Fargate. Workload security solutions built on Falco include Microsoft Defender for Cloud, StackRox, Sumo Logic, Giant Swarm, and several others.

Agile Scrum and the New Way of Work in 2023

The Origin of Agile

Twenty years ago, 17 people from around the world gathered at a ski resort in Utah and created what we know today as Agile Software Development Manifesto. The core value of this new alternative to the traditional project management process was to place people and values at the core and work together to achieve results. The Agile approach to software development focuses on completing the project with iterations and constantly focuses on improvement and collaboration. The founding group that called themselves the Agile Alliance went on to create four central values of the Agile Software Development Manifesto:

Agile development manifesto created by agile alliance.

Unlike the waterfall approach, Agile methodology divides work into actionable items, called sprints, enlist feedback and reprioritize work as per business needs and market changes.

Learning by Doing: An HTTP API With Rust

When I started working on this post, I had another idea in mind: I wanted to compare the developer experience and performance of Spring Boot and GraalVM with Rust on a demo HTTP API application. Unfortunately, the M1 processor of my MacBook Pro had other ideas.

Hence, I changed my initial plan. I'll write about the developer experience of developing the above application in Rust, compared to what I'm used to with Spring Boot.

4 Key Design Principles and Guarantees of Streaming Database

Real-time data processing is a foundational aspect of running modern technology-oriented businesses. Customers want quicker results than ever and will defect at the slightest opportunity of having faster outcomes. Hence organizations these days are in a continuous hunt to shave off milliseconds from their responses.

Real-time processing takes over most aspects that were earlier handled using batch processing. Real-time processing requires executing business logic on an incoming stream of data. This is in stark contrast to the traditional way of storing the data in a database and then executing analytical queries. Such applications can not afford the delay involved in loading the data first to a traditional database and then executing the queries. This sets the stage for streaming databases. Streaming databases are data stores that can receive high-velocity data and process them on the go without a traditional database in the mix. They are not drop-in replacements for the traditional database but are good at handling high-speed data. This article will cover the four key design principles and guarantees of streaming databases.

7 Best Business Voicemail Transcription Services (Text and Email)

Are you looking for a service to transcribe your voicemails?

Voicemail transcription helps convert your voicemails to text, so you can read them later on your phone or computer. It saves time, as you don’t have to listen to recordings and quickly view the message in text form.

In this article, we’ll show you the best business voicemail transcription services.

Best business voicemail transcription services

Why Use a Business Voicemail Transcription Service?

Voicemail transcription means converting your audio messages into text format. However, manually transcribing each voicemail is a time-consuming task. Instead, you can use a business voicemail transcription service.

There are a lot of software available that will automatically convert voicemail speech to text. The transcriptions can be sent to you by email or text.

This is more convenient especially when you can’t listen to voicemails. You can quickly read the message anywhere instead of listening to the voice recording.

It also helps streamline your customer support process. Your support staff can search for voicemails from a user and look at previous messages, so they can provide a better customer experience. You can also keep records of your voicemails and connect them to customer relationship management (CRM) software.

That being said, let’s look at the best business voicemail transcription services.

1. Nextiva

The Nextiva coupon code has been automatically applied

Nextiva is the best virtual phone service in the market that offers powerful features, including voicemail transcriptions. The cloud phone system is easy to use and set up.

It brings multiple communication channels under one roof. For example, you can make HD video calls, send text messages, live chat, voicemails, phone calls, and more from a single place.

Nextiva offers a voicemail to email and text option, where you can receive voicemails inside your inbox. This allows you to respond to customers quickly, even when calls are missed. Once this feature is active, it will automatically transcribe the voicemail.

Besides that, you also get other features like call recording, unlimited calls and texts in North America, toll-free numbers, team chat, auto attendant, call transfer and forwarding, and more.

They also business phone apps for iOS and Android smartphones, so it lets you stay connected with customers anywhere in the world.

At WPBeginner, we use Nextiva for all our business phone needs. We’re huge fans of their platform and the features it offers.

Pricing: You will need the Nextiva Enterprise plan to use the voicemail transcription features, which will cost you $32.95 per user per month.

2. RingCentral

RingCentral

RingCentral is another top business voicemail transcription service. Their business VoIP phone service offers lots of powerful features and is a perfect solution for remote teams.

With its Voicemail for Business feature, you get to choose how to receive voicemails. For instance, you can access voice messages from the RingCentral online account, desktop app, mobile device, email, and desk phone.

RingCentral offers an option to send voicemails to your email address. You’ll receive an audio attachment and transcription, so you can quickly scan through the message without listening to the voicemail.

Other than that, RingCentral offers features like video conference calls, unlimited calling in the US and Canada, voice-to-text features, toll-free numbers, and other call-handling features.

Pricing: The voicemail-to-text feature is available in the Essentials plan and will cost you $19.99 per user per month.

3. Ooma

Ooma

Ooma is a popular VoIP phone service for businesses of all sizes. It is loaded with features, including voicemail transcription and voicemail-to-email options.

You can configure your voicemails to be automatically sent to an email address when they’re left in your Ooma Office app. You will get an audio recording as an attachment and transcribed text in the body of the email.

Ooma is also easy to use and works out of the box. You get more features like a virtual receptionist, hold music, extension dialing, video conferencing, 1-800 phone numbers, a call center, and more. There are also desktop and mobile apps, so you can call and receive voicemails from anywhere in the world.

Pricing: Ooma prices start from $19.95 per month per user. However, the voicemail transcription feature is available in the Ooma Office Pro and Pro Plus pricing plans.

4. FreshDesk Contact Center

FreshDesk

FreshDesk Contact Center is the next business voicemail transcription service on our list. It was previously known as Freshcaller and is a user-friendly virtual business phone provider.

FreshDesk Contact Center offers an AI-power voicemail transcription feature. Its artificial intelligence engine, called Freddy AI, automatically transcribes voicemails.

You can easily access the transcriptions from the FreshDesk phone system and view key metrics like queue time and IVR time. It also lets you enable voicemail transcription for selected phone numbers and set up voicemail greetings.

Other features offered by FreshDesk Contact Center include a call waiting option, vanity numbers, mobile apps, shared lines, route calls to voicemail, block spam calls, call recording, and more.

Pricing: You will need the Growth plan or higher to use the voicemail transcription feature in FreshDesk Contact Center. This will cost you $15 per agent per month (billed annually). There is also a free version of the software you use to get started, but it doesn’t include voicemail transcriptions.

5. Grasshopper

Grasshopper

Grasshopper is one of the best business phone services, and it is perfect for small businesses and startups. The service offers a voicemail transcription feature and allows you to receive the transcriptions in your email inbox.

It is very easy to set up, and you can add email addresses where you’d like the forwarded messages to go. Then using the Grasshopper desktop app or mobile apps, you can read the voicemail messages.

Aside from voicemail transcription, Grasshopper is filled with robust features. For instance, you get simultaneous call handling, call forwarding, extensions, call transfers, VoIP calling, virtual fax, reporting, and more.

Pricing: Grasshopper pricing plans start from $28 per month (billed annually), and all plans include the voicemail feature. Do note that it is only available in the US and Canada.

6. Google Voice

Google voice

Google Voice is another business voicemail transcription service you can use for your WordPress website. It is part of Google Workspace and easily integrates with other tools like Google Meet and Calendar.

The service uses Google’s AI to turn voicemails into text automatically. The AI is powerful and converts complex words into easy-to-read text.

Besides that, it is very easy to use and offers free calling to US and Canada, spam call blocking, unlimited text messaging in the US, call forwarding, mobile apps, and more.

Pricing: Google Voice prices start from $10 per user per month and includes a voicemail transcription feature.

7. Phone.com

Phone.com

Phone.com is a popular cloud-based virtual phone service offering a voicemail feature. You can listen to audio messages from your online account and set up a voicemail-to-email feature.

Phone.com will automatically transcribe your voicemails and send them to you as email or text messages. This way, you can read the message instead of listening to the voice note or forward the transcription to other team members.

With Phone.com, you also enjoy other powerful features. It is a complete virtual phone solution and offers call forwarding, call transfer, analytics, number porting, audio conferences, fax from phone, text messaging, and more.

Pricing: The voicemail transcription feature is included in the Plus users or higher plan, and its prices start from $15.99 per user per month.

Which is the Best Business Voicemail Transcription Service?

In our expert opinion, the best business voicemail transcription service is Nextiva, and after careful research we chose to use it for our own business.

Nextiva is user-friendly and offers lots of features to help you connect with your customers and team members from anywhere. You can easily receive voicemail transcriptions in your email, handle calls, conduct virtual meetings, create workflows, and more.

Plus, Nextiva has desktop and mobile apps, so you are always connected on the go. It also easily integrates multiple communication channels into a single platform.

If you’re looking for other solutions, then we recommend RingCentral and Ooma as alternatives to Nextiva for voicemail transcriptions.

We hope this article helped you pick the best business voicemail transcription service. You may also want to see our comparison of the best email marketing services and best live chat software for small business.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 7 Best Business Voicemail Transcription Services (Text and Email) first appeared on WPBeginner.

Benefits for Bulk mailing

(1) Cost-effectiveness: Sending a large number of emails at once can be more cost-effective than sending individual emails, especially if you are using a bulk email service that offers discounts for high volume.
(2) Reach: You can reach a large number of people in a short amount of time, making bulk mailing a quick and efficient way to get your message out to a wide audience.
(3) Customization: Many bulk email services offer the ability to personalize your messages with the recipient's name, location, and other information, which can increase engagement and improve the effectiveness of your campaign.
(4) Analytics: Most bulk email services provide detailed analytics and tracking information, allowing you to measure the success of your campaign and make data-driven decisions.
(5) Time-saving: Sending a large number of emails at once can save you time compared to sending individual emails, especially if you use automated features such as templates and pre-written responses.

Hacking the Hackathon

Developers love to hack, but software engineering as a profession can actually be quite mundane. We attend hours of meetings, give status reports, fix bugs, maintain legacy software, and work on less-than-exciting projects. Not all of us are out there changing the world and building the next hottest new technology.

To satisfy our desire to build, we participate in hackathons, where the primary goal is simply to build something cool. We hack it together, so to speak. Smart companies regularly host internal hackathons, and that’s where some of their best ideas are generated. Sometimes a company will sponsor a public-facing hackathon as well, in which anyone can participate. Winners of these hackathons are often rewarded with prize money, swag, and the respect of their peers.

Uplevel Your Managers With Mini-M Support Groups

Today, I would like to share a management practice we developed at New Relic. It was one of the best things we did as an engineering organization. The practice is called “Mini-Ms." I believe it’s as important a practice for managers as code reviews are for engineers.

This post is the first of a series:

3 Ways That You Can Operate Record Beyond DTO [Video]

The record feature has arrived in the latest LTS version, Java 17! Records allow the making of an immutable class without a boilerplate. That is awesome! The question is: how can we use it? In general, we saw a couple of samples with DTO, but we can do more than that. In this tutorial and video, we'll explore design capabilities with a record exceeding DTO.

DTO

We won't focus on it here, but it is worth mentioning that it is a good sample of record but not a unique case.

How To Avoid “Schema Drift”

We are all familiar with drifting in-app configuration and IaC. We’re starting with a specific configuration backed with IaC files. Soon after, we are facing a “drift” or a change between what is actually configured in our infrastructure and files. The same behavior happens in data. The schema starts in a specific shape. As data ingestion grows and scales to different sources, we get a schema drift, a messy, unstructured database and an analytical layer that keeps failing due to a bad schema. In this article, we will learn how to deal with the scenario and how to work with dynamic schemas.

Schemas Are a Major Struggle

A schema defines the structure of the data format. Keys/Values/Formats/Types, a combination of all, results in a defined structure or simply—schema.

Top Three Docker Alternatives To Consider

Docker is a containerization technology that allows developers to package and deploy applications in lightweight, portable containers. These containers are isolated from the host operating system, which makes them portable across different environments and eliminates the “works on my machine” problem.

Docker is a popular platform for creating and managing containerized applications; however, several alternatives for Docker can also be used for this purpose. Podman, Kubernetes, Openshift, LXD, Docker Swarm, BuidKit, and Mesos are some of the popular Docker alternatives available in the market today. In this article, we’ll discuss the following three Docker hub alternatives: Podman, Containerd, and LXD.

Blaze Slider

Gotta love a good slider component! There have been so many over the years. I made my own back in the day, using jQuery, called the AnythingSlider. I remember the Pei Wei website used it for a while and I knew I had made it haha.

I think we see so many of these because they are a microcosm of the web itself. It’s a semantic challenge, an accessibility challenge, a performance challenge, a developer ergonomics challenge, a UX challenge, a design challenge, and even a marketing challenge.

Anyway, I’m usually a Flickity guy myself (basic demo), but Blaze Slider also looks great.

I like how it requires no framework at all, but if you’re using one, they have all the most common documented.

The post Blaze Slider appeared first on CodePen Blog.

How to Embed a Facebook Video in WordPress

Do you want to embed a Facebook video in WordPress?

The videos that you post to Facebook also make great content for your website. By embedding a Facebook video feed, you can keep your site fresh and interesting while also growing your Facebook following.

In this article, we’ll show you an easy way to embed Facebook videos in WordPress.

How to embed a Facebook video in WordPress

Why Add Facebook Videos in WordPress?

Videos are a great way to connect with your audience and keep them engaged. This is true no matter whether you’re running a personal blog or a business website.

However, videos are particularly powerful if you want to make money online blogging with WordPress. In fact, 88% of people have bought a product or service after watching a video according to the latest blogging statistics.

Creating engaging and entertaining videos takes time and effort so if you’re posting videos to Facebook, then it makes sense to re-use them on your WordPress website.

By linking your website to your Facebook account, any new videos that you post to Facebook will appear on your website automatically. In this way, you can keep your website fresh with very little day-to-day effort.

Embedded videos can even help grow your Facebook page. If website visitors see lots of interesting videos and playlists then they’ll want to follow you on Facebook. This can get you some extra followers and more engagement.

With that being said, let’s see how you can easily embed a Facebook video in WordPress.

Installing a Facebook Video Plugin in WordPress

The easiest way to embed a Facebook video in WordPress is by using the Custom Facebook Feed Pro plugin.

It’s the best social media feeds plugin and lets you easily embed Facebook albums, comments, reviews, community posts, videos, and more on your WordPress website.

A Facebook video feed, created using Smash Balloon

In this guide, we’ll be using the pro version of Smash Balloon as it allows you to embed videos in WordPress including HD, 360o, and Facebook Live videos.

Smash Balloon Pro also lets you show photos in a custom Facebook feed, and display the total number of likes, shares, comments, and reactions below each post. However, if you’re just starting out and have a limited budget, then there’s also a free version you can use.

First, install and activate the Custom Facebook Feed Pro plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, head over to Facebook Feed » Settings and enter your license key into the ‘License Key’ field.

Adding your Smash Ballon license in WordPress

You’ll find this information under your account on the Smash Balloon website.

After entering the key, click on the ‘Activate’ button.

Connect Your Facebook Page or Group to WordPress

Smash Balloon Custom Facebook Feed allows you to embed videos from Facebook pages and groups. You can even show the videos in a lightbox popup so people can watch the full video directly on your WordPress website.

The first step is connecting your Facebook page or group to WordPress, so go to Facebook Feed » All Feeds and then click on ‘Add New.’

How to embed Facebook videos in WordPress

Smash Balloon lets you show posts from your Facebook timeline, photo albums, Facebook statuses, events, and more.

Since we want to embed Facebook videos in WordPress, you’ll need to select ‘Videos’ and then click on ‘Next.’

Creating a Facebook video feed using Smash Balloon

Now, you need to select the Facebook page or group where you’ll get the videos from.

To do this, click on ‘Add New.’

Choose a source for your Facebook video embeds

Next, choose whether you want to show videos from a Facebook page or group.

Once you’ve done that, click on ‘Connect to Facebook.’

How to connect Facebook to WordPress

This opens a popup where you can log into your Facebook account and choose the pages or groups that you want to use with Smash Balloon.

After that, click on ‘Next.’

Connecting Facebook accounts to WordPress

Now, Facebook will show all the information that Smash Balloon will have access to, and the actions it can perform.

To restrict Smash Balloon’s access to your Facebook account, simply click to disable any of the switches.

Just be aware that this may affect the videos that you can embed on your WordPress blog or website so we recommend leaving all the switches enabled.

Giving Smash Balloon access to your WordPress website

When you’re happy with how the permissions are set up, click on ‘Done.’

After a few moments, you should see a message confirming that you’ve connected your WordPress website to Facebook.

With that done, you’re ready to click on ‘OK.’

Connecting Facebook pages and groups to WordPress

Smash Balloon will now return you to the WordPress dashboard automatically.

How to Embed Facebook Videos in WordPress

At this point, you’ll see a popup with the Facebook group or page that you just linked to your website. Simply select the radio button next to the page or group you want to use and then click on the ‘Add’ button.

Choosing a Facebook page or group to use with WordPress

If you accidentally closed the popup, don’t worry. You can simply refresh the page to reopen the popup.

Once you’ve done that, WordPress will take you back to the Facebook Feed » All Feeds page automatically. Just like before, click on ‘Add New,’ select ‘Videos’ and then click on the ‘Next’ button.

Now, select your Facebook page or group, and click on ‘Next.’

Selecting the Facebook page or group to use with WordPress

On this screen, you can choose the template that you want to use for the video feed.

All of these templates are fully customizable so you can fine-tune the design depending on how you want to show the Facebook videos on your website.

We’re using the ‘Default’ template, but you can choose any template you want. After making your selection, click on ‘Next.’

Using the WordPress video template

After that, you can choose whether to show all the videos from your Facebook page or group or just the videos from a specific playlist.

If you choose ‘Show from a specific playlist,’ then you’ll need to enter that playlist’s URL.

Adding a Facebook playlist to WordPress

Once you’ve made a decision, go ahead and click on the ‘Next’ button.

Smash Balloon will now create a feed based on your source and the template you’ve chosen. This is a good start, but you may want to fine-tune how the videos appear on your site.

How to Customize Your Embedded Facebook Videos

The Smash Balloon Custom Facebook Feed plugin gives you lots of ways to customize how the videos appear on your website. That being said, it’s worth taking a look at these settings.

In the WordPress dashboard, go to Facebook Feed » All Feeds. Here, find the video feed you just created and click on the ‘Edit’ button next to it, which looks like a small pencil.

Customizing the Facebook video feed for WordPress

This opens the Smash Balloon feed editor, which shows a preview of your Facebook video feed to the right.

On the left-hand side, you’ll see all the different settings you can use to customize how these videos appear on your WordPress website. Most of these settings are self-explanatory, but we’ll quickly cover the major areas.

The Smash Balloon video feed editor

If you want to change the template, then click on ‘Template.’

Then, select the ‘Change’ button.

Changing the Facebook video feed layout

This opens a popup showing all the different templates you can use for your video feed.

Simply select the design you want to use instead, and then click on ‘Update.’

Changing the video feed layout

The next setting is ‘Feed Type,’ which allows you to show different content in your feed. For example, you might decide to show photos, albums, or events instead of videos.

Since we want to embed Facebook videos, you’ll typically want to ignore this area.

Next, click on ‘Feed Layout.’

Embedding Facebook videos in your WordPress website

Here, you can choose between different layouts, such as masonry and grid, and change the feed height.

As you make changes, the preview will update automatically so you can try different settings to see what looks the best.

Changing the social media feed layout

By default, Smash Balloon will show the same number of videos on desktop computers and mobile devices such as smartphones.

You can preview how your videos will look on desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones using the row of buttons in the upper-right corner.

Testing the video feed on smartphones and tablets

Mobile devices usually have smaller screens and may struggle to process lots of large, high-resolution videos. Visitors may also be using their mobile data rather than free Wi-Fi.

With that being said, you may want to show fewer videos on smartphones and tablets. To do this, simply type a different number into the ‘Mobile’ field under ‘Number of Posts.’

Creating a mobile-responsive Facebook video feed

By default, the Facebook feed shows fewer columns on smartphones and tablets, compared to desktop computers. This helps all your videos fit comfortably on smaller screens.

However, after testing the mobile version of your WordPress website, you may be unhappy with how the columns look on tablets and smartphones.

You can change the number of columns that Smash Balloon uses on tablets, mobiles, and desktop computers using the ‘Columns’ settings.

Changing the columns in a mobile responsive layout

The next settings page is ‘Color Scheme.’

Smash Balloon uses the colors inherited from your WordPress theme by default, but on this screen, you can switch to a ‘Light’ or ‘Dark’ color scheme instead.

Another option is to create your own color scheme by selecting ‘Custom’ and then using the controls to change the background color, change the text color in WordPress, and more.

Adding a custom color scheme to a social media feed

Smash Balloon can add a header to your feed, which is your Facebook profile picture and the name of the page or group. This lets visitors know where the embedded videos come from, and where they can find this content on Facebook.

To add this section, click on ‘Header’ in the left-hand menu.

Changing the Smash Balloon header settings

You can then click on the ‘Enable’ toggle.

After adding a header you can change how this area looks, including hiding or adding your Facebook profile picture, changing the size of the bio text, and more.

Removing the Facebook header from a WordPress embed

If you want to remove the header completely, then click to turn off the ‘Enable’ toggle.

By default, Smash Balloon shows the title of each video. If you want to hide the title, then select ‘Posts’ from the main Smash Balloon editor menu.

Then, go ahead and click on ‘Post Style.’

Changing the video post style

On this screen, you can hide the video titles by clicking on the ‘Show Video Title’ slider.

This can be useful if you haven’t added titles to all your videos, or your titles don’t make sense outside of Facebook.

Hiding the Facebook video titles

On this screen, you can also hide or show the video descriptions. For example, you may use these descriptions to provide extra information about the video.

To add the description, simply click to enable the ‘Show Video Description’ switch.

By default, Smash Balloon doesn’t add the Facebook ‘like’ button to your video feed. If visitors like your embedded videos then they may want to follow you on Facebook.

With that being said, you may want to add a ‘like’ button to the feed, by selecting ‘Like Box’ from the editor’s left-hand menu.

After that, simply click on the ‘Enable’ button so that it turns blue.

Adding a Facebook like button to WordPress

Smash Balloon adds this button below your video feed, but you can change this by opening the ‘Position’ dropdown and choosing ‘Top.’

On this screen, you can also change how the ‘like’ section looks including changing its width, showing how many people follow you on Facebook, adding a custom call to action, and more.

How to customize the Facebook like button in WordPress

When you’re happy with how the button looks, you can move on to the next settings page by selecting ‘Load More Button.’

The Load More button encourages visitors to scroll through more of your video feed, so Smash Balloon adds it to your embedded Facebook feed by default.

Adding a Load More button to WordPress

Since it’s such an important button, you may want to customize this button by changing its background color, hover state, label, and more.

Another option is to remove the button completely, by clicking the ‘Enable’ toggle. For example, you might remove this button and then encourage visitors to check out your Facebook page in order to see more of your videos.

Removing the Load More button from WordPress

By default, Smash Balloon allows visitors to watch your Facebook videos without leaving your WordPress website.

They can simply click on any video thumbnail to open it in a lightbox, as you can see in the following image

Smash Balloon's lightbox popup feature

Visitors can scroll through the videos in your feed using the arrows.

If they want to like a photo, leave a comment, or share the video to their page, then they can click on the ‘View on Facebook’ link.

A 'View on Facebook' link created by Smash Balloon

There are a few different ways that you can customize Smash Balloon’s default lightbox.

To see your options, click on ‘Lightbox’ in the left-hand menu.

 Customizing the lightbox popup using Smash Balloon

Here, you can change the color of the lightbox’s text, links, and background colors.

The lightbox feature allows visitors to watch your videos in a popup. If you prefer, then you can disable the lightbox so that all your videos play as small thumbnails, embedded inside the page content.

In this way, you can encourage people to visit your Facebook page, to see the full-size video. To disable the lightbox, simply click on the ‘Enable’ toggle to turn it from blue to grey.

Disabling the lightbox popup feature

When you’re happy with how the video feed looks, don’t forget to click on ‘Save.’

You’re now ready to embed the Smash Balloon feed in your website.

How to Add Facebook Videos to WordPress

With Smash Balloon, you can add the video feed to your WordPress website using a block, widget, or shortcode.

If you’ve created more than one feed using Smash Balloon, then you’ll need to know the feed’s code if you’re going to use a widget or block.

To get this code, go to Facebook Feed » All Feeds and then look at the feed="" part of the shortcode. You’ll need to add this code to the block or widget, so make a note of it.

In the following image, we’ll need to use feed="6"

Getting the code for a Facebook video feed

If you want to embed your Facebook feed in a page or post, then we recommend using the Custom Facebook Feed block.

Just open the page or post where you want to embed your Facebook videos. Then, click on the ‘+’ icon to add a new block and start typing ‘Custom Facebook Feed.’

When the right block appears, click to add it to the page or post.

The Custom Facebook Feed WordPress block

The block will show one of your Smash Balloon feeds by default. If you want to use a different video feed instead, then find ‘Shortcode Settings’ in the right-hand menu.

Here, simply add the feed="" code and then click on ‘Apply Changes.’

Adding a video feed to WordPress using code

The block will now show the videos from your Facebook page or group. Just publish or update the page to make the video feed live on your website.

Another option is to add the feed to any widget-ready area, such as the sidebar or similar section. This allows visitors to watch your Facebook videos from any page of your site.

Simply go to Appearance » Widgets and then click on the blue ‘+’ button.

Adding videos to Facebook using a widget

After that, find the ‘Custom Facebook Feed’ widget.

Then, just drag it onto the area where you want to show the video feed.

Embedding Facebook videos using a widget

The widget will show one of your Smash Balloon feeds automatically.

To show a different feed instead, type or paste the feed’s code into the ‘Shortcode Settings’ box and then click ‘Apply Changes.’

Adding a Facebook video feed to WordPress using shortcode

You can now make the widget live by clicking on the ‘Update’ button. For more information, please see our step-by-step guide on how to add and use widgets in WordPress.

Finally, you can embed videos on any page, post, or widget-ready area using a shortcode.

Simply go to Facebook Feed » All Feeds and copy the code in the ‘Shortcode’ column. You can now add this code to any Shortcode block.

For help placing the shortcode, please see our guide on how to add a shortcode.

Add a Specific Facebook Video in WordPress

Sometimes you may want to embed a specific Facebook video in a page or post. For example, you might have a Facebook video that talks about the same topics as your latest blog, or a promotional video showing the product you’ve just launched on your online store.

To embed a specific video, you’ll need to buy and install the Featured Posts extension as it allows you to display a particular post or event using its ID.

To start, go to Facebook Feed » Extensions.

Here, find the ‘Featured Posts’ extension and click on its ‘Add’ button.

How to install the Featured Posts WordPress extension

This will open the Smash Balloon website in a new tab, with instructions on how to purchase the extension.

Once you have the extension, you can install it in exactly the same way you install a plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

After activating the plugin, go to Facebook Feed » All Feeds and click on ‘Add New.’

Under ‘Advanced Feed Types,’ select ‘Single Featured Post’ and then click ‘Next.’

How to show a specific Facebook video in WordPress

You can now choose the page or group that you want to use as your source by following the same process described above.

On the next page, you’ll need to enter the ID of the video that you want to embed.

Adding a Facebook post URL or ID to WordPress

To get this ID, visit Facebook in a new tab and then open the video that you want to embed.

You can now go ahead and copy the URL.

How to get the post ID for a Facebook video

After that, just post the URL into your WordPress dashboard and click on ‘Next.’

Once you’ve done that, you can style the video and then add it to your site following the same process described above.

We hope this article showed you how to embed a Facebook video in WordPress. You may want to check out our guide on how to create an email newsletter and our expert pick of the best YouTube video gallery plugins.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Embed a Facebook Video in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

Top 12 Technical Skills Every Software Tester Must Have

Nobody can become a software tester like that. To gain that profession, there are some technical skills that every tester has to go through. As the renowned computer scientist and testing expert Jerry (Gerald) Weinberg once said, “If you are not learning something new each day, you are not testing.” Well, when the technology, agile, and DevOps methodologies are advancing rapidly, while accelerated development and continuous deployments are getting more complex, testing becomes quite a critical phase. This allows testers to work harder and demands more deliberation.

Learning about the latest trends and advancing in technical skills becomes inevitable to keep up with the trends and avoid becoming obsolete. In this scenario, every tester needs to be well-versed with the technical skills—to get greater insight, a great degree of effectiveness, and effectively communicate the failures and defects in the system to developers.

HelloFax Review

Faxing seems outdated to most people, but many businesses still rely on online faxing even today. Online fax services help receive and send crucial communications from anywhere, allowing users to retrieve old faxes with a simple search. 

HelloFax provides an easy, reliable, and seamless online faxing experience. It is an ideal solution for small businesses with cloud storage needs. HelloFax is one of our top recommendations for online fax services. Read on to find out why.

HelloFax logo

HelloFax Compared

HelloFax did make it to our top list of the best fax services. While it is an excellent option to consider, the best online fax service for the majority of our readers is RingCentral Fax because it is easy to set up and simple to use. Try its Fax 1500 Package for free to make an informed decision for your business

  • RingCentral Fax — Best overall
  • eFax — The most popular online fax service
  • Ooma — Best online fax and phone service bundle
  • MetroFax — A best mobile app for online faxing
  • Nextiva — Best standalone online fax service
  • iFax — Best enterprise fax solution
  • FAX.PLUS — Best for offices that fax occasionally
  • MyFax — Best online fax service for personal use
  • HelloFax — Best for small teams and cloud storage integration
  • FaxZero — Best for faxing a few pages
  • Sfax — Best HIPAA-compliant online fax service
  • Biscom 123 — Best email-to-fax service

For more info, read our in-depth analysis of these platforms.

About HelloFax

HelloFax offers exceptional fax services to businesses in various industries. It has a smooth and easy-to-follow user interface that even beginners can intuitively use. The unique feature that helps it stand out among the other online fax services available in the market is the cloud storage integration feature. Additionally, its teamwork feature makes it especially ideal for small business owners. 

The service works really well with OneDrive, Box, Google Drive, and Evernote. It offers users seamless access to files irrespective of where they are. 

Moreover, it has a built-in editor that makes dealing with extensions or attachments easier. The Free Plan, with five fax pages, several integrations, international coverage, and secure cloud storage, is beneficial for small businesses with limited faxing needs looking for an affordable solution. It offers a few paid plans starting at $8 per month.  

HelloFax Health and Stability

Even though HelloFax was created recently and is one of the newest companies to enter the online fax market, it has made its mark and stacks up really well against its competitors. It was founded in 2010 by Joseph Walla and was launched inside of Y Combinator but received special attention after investment from Google Ventures. The modern design of its website and the backing of Google has made HelloFax a popular and go-to company in the online fax industry. 

Another unique feature of HelloFax that helped it gain significant visibility in a short span of time is the electronic signature process. To expand its e-signature services, HelloFax launched a sister company called HelloSign. 

Previously, it claimed to be HIPAA compliant. However, in 2013 it took the claim off of its benefits pages. So, it’s unclear whether it now complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. 

Since the launch of HelloFax, its user base has continued to grow and is predicted to grow even further. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that HelloFax is here to stay for a long time as a unique online fax service. 

HelloFax Pricing

HelloFax has various pricing plans, each offering slightly different features. Unlike other online fax service providers, HelloFax groups ‘sent’ and ‘received’ faxes count together in the monthly allowance. Many users believe it is better than counting the sent and received faxes separately in a month.

HelloFax provides various payment plans, each with a different number of fax pages per month. All paid plans come with a 30-day free trial and discounted rates for annual contracts. Moreover, all its plans also offer several integrations, international coverage, secure cloud storage, and the freedom to edit and sign faxes. Each paid plan provides an additional feature at a slightly higher cost.   

Contact its sales team and learn about additional plans and features before making your final decision.

HelloFax Pricing Structure

For HelloFax, the pricing of each plan depends upon the number of features or services offered in each package. The company also has regular limited-time offers and discounts, so keep an eye out for them. Some primary services provided in all the plans include integration with Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft Word. Not to mention, users can also edit and sign specific faxes and get cloud storage and security.   

Each pricing plan has a different fee based on the number of fax pages and the number of senders. Moreover, each progressive plan offers a few additional advanced features. Users also offered a free trial of each package before making a paid commitment.

The three paid plans offered by HelloFax include:

  • Home Office Plan costing $9 per month
  • Professional Plan costing $19 a month
  • Small Business Plan costing $39 per month

HelloFax gives a slight discount to users billed annually. If the featured services don’t fulfill the requirements of your business, you can always request a custom plan with additional benefits at a slightly higher cost. The final price quote depends on the number of services you request. Overall, each service can provide more value to your business. You may request a discount for a bundle of services. 

HelloFax also offers a Free Plan, but it is a limited plan and is only beneficial for users planning to send a five-page, one-time fax. You’ll need to invest in a Home Office Plan to access greater fax capacity and some advanced features. 

HelloFax Pricing Comparison

HelloFax offers many services to its clients, individuals or small businesses. However, its pricing plan is mid-tier, and other fax services offer similar features at a lower price or provide more features at a similar cost.

For example, Nextiva is regarded as the best stand-alone online fax service provider. Its most basic Essentials Plan costs only $10 per month on an annual payment and provides 550 fax pages. 

Almost all fax service providers offer a discounted rate on annual payments, and the discount percentage varies from platform to platform. For example, eFax and MetroFax provide a 17% discount on yearly costs for a plan.

FAX.PLUS has one of the most affordable Basic Plans, costing only $6.99 a month and providing 200 monthly fax pages and unlimited secure fax storage. MyFax offers 100 fax pages per month for $10, and it provides unlimited lifetime fax storage and 24/7 dedicated customer support.

Every service has a unique and specifically designed plan for its users. There is a considerable variation in the prices of different subscription plans offered by various services. The features provided in the Basic Plan of one platform are often different from the features offered by another platform’s Basic Plan. Therefore, the price also varies based on the number of services or features being offered.

HelloFax Trials and Guarantees

HelloFax is a strong platform with various integrations and cloud storage options. It has an easy-to-use interface that helps send occasional faxes without any problem. Many businesses trust HelloFax to fulfill their faxing needs, proving that several businesses still actively utilize fax for communication. 

HelloFax offers secure cloud storage and electronic signature in its Free Plan. It gives users the space to get the hang of the platform and helps them decide whether they want to continue using it. 

The company also runs different limited-time discount offers throughout the year. So, keep checking to get a higher discount for trying out their paid plans. Moreover, you can contact the customer support service to understand the purpose and benefits of provided services.

Get started today with a free trial.

HelloFax Online Fax Service Review

There are several better online fax service providers present in the market today. However, HelloFax is only fractionally behind them in terms of services, which it compensates for by offering a Free Plan, a one-of-a-kind electronic signature, and many other advanced features and services.

Our research also suggests that HelloFax is ideal for small teams and businesses. Enterprises can manage teams of users, convert their existing fax numbers, and utilize robust integration with cloud storage services like Dropbox, OneDrive, and similar services. To see how HelloFax’s online fax services stack up against some of its top competitors, read our comparison of the best online fax services.

What Makes HelloFax Online Fax Service Great

Screenshot from HelloFax webpage with header that says "Faxing, evolved" and descriptions of the following features: Confidential and secure, Customizable, Paperless, Access from anywhere
HelloFax provides top-notch security by ensuring your fax transmissions are encrypted and confidential.

Strong security: Technological advancement and hacking has increased the importance of software security more than ever. HelloFax fulfills this demand and provides top-notch security. It offers 256-bit AES encryption on its platform servers. 

Moreover, HelloFax doesn’t collect user data; even if it collects limited information, it doesn’t store it. It also doesn’t store the contents of the fax. It offers transport layer security that secures faxes in transit and allows users to contact customer service anytime to delete all stored data.

User-friendly interface: HelloFax has a simple and easy user interface. Its login displays a simple menu with various options allowing you to see your fax history. It also enables you to invite additional users and create a team from the dashboard in a few clicks.

Cloud storage integration: This unique feature is rarely offered by other fax services. It allows integration with cloud storage services, including Evernote, Google Drive, and DropBox. Moreover, its add-on for Google Docs makes sending a fax from within a document easier.

Where HelloFax Online Fax Service Falls Short

Screenshot from HelloFax webpage with header that says "Send and receive faxes online" with a box showing how you can add a recipient to your faxes
HelloFax’s intuitive interface makes it easy to start sending faxes today.

Limited customer service: HelloFax offers customer support over email but only during specific hours. The company’s website has excellent video guides to help users deal with any problems. However, these resources don’t compensate for the lack of phone and live chat support.

No mobile app: HelloFax doesn’t have a mobile app for either iOS or Android, and most of its competitors have an app that lets users edit, sign, send, or simply view faxes on the go. Keeping modern user expectations, a mobile app is a crucial functionality, and the lack of one can significantly reduce the usability of a company’s services. 

Lack of cover sheet customization: The fax cover sheet is a sheet of paper attached to a fax document for sharing confidential information. This sheet is used for professional purposes and mostly contains the user name, fax number, and a few other details. HelloFax doesn’t allow users to customize or edit these sheets, which is a drawback.

HelloFax Online Fax Service Compared

While HelloFax is an excellent option, the best online fax service provider for most of our readers is RingCentral Fax because it’s easy to set up, affordable, and simple to use. Moreover, it offers the feature to schedule faxes and allows users to send faxes from all types of devices.

  • RingCentral Fax — Best overall
  • eFax — The most popular online fax service
  • Ooma — Best online fax and phone service bundle
  • MetroFax — A best mobile app for online faxing
  • Nextiva — Best standalone online fax service
  • iFax — Best enterprise fax solution
  • FAX.PLUS — Best for offices that fax occasionally
  • MyFax — Best online fax service for personal use
  • HelloFax — Best for small teams and cloud storage integration
  • FaxZero — Best for faxing a few pages
  • Sfax — Best HIPAA-compliant online fax service
  • Biscom 123 — Best email-to-fax service

Final Verdict

Fax continues to be an important communication tool for many businesses today. Online fax service providers offer businesses a more convenient alternative to traditional fax machines. These services allow users to send faxes from phones, desktops, and tablets. There is an ideal fax service for the specific needs of each type of business.

HelloFax has been in the market for a relatively short time but has shown exceptional performance and potential for growth. It stands out from the crowd because of its unique features, user-friendly interface, robust security, and cloud storage integration. Therefore, HelloFax is here to stay for a long time.