[theme-reviewers] theme and plugins hosting on wordpress.org

[Petar Genev]

Hi there,

I am sorry if some of my questions are silly but I really get very confused
of what I can and can't submit to the repository, what links I can/can't
place and where.

I got some of my answers from Chip Bennett in a few support forum threads.
Thanks Chip.
There are still things to clear out.

Here is my whole story:

I am planing to build my own blog which will include:
- blog posts with stuff like how to deal with wordpress, how to customize,
best practices of lots of wordpress stuff.
- reviews of free themes and plugins hosted in the wordpress.org repository
with "download from wordpress.org" links.
- reviews of themes from woothemes.com and "purchase from woothemes.com"
affiliate links.
- reviews of themes from themeforest.net and "purchase from themeforest.net"
affiliate links.
- reviews of plugins from codecanyon.net and "purchase from codecanyon.net"
affiliate links.

I want to upload themes and plugins to the wordpress repository so they can
get viewed and used by many users. I want to put link back to my blog, so
those users can check on my blog it they want to.
No spam messages, no spamy email lists, no collection of any user data.
I am not trying to be a spammer of any kind. I want to give quality stuff
to wordpress users and get some traffic to my blog so I can eventually get
some financial benefits.

I see many wordpress.org users are doing stuff like that. Some of them sell
their own stuff on their blogs, some refer to others, some submit to the
repository a light version of a plugin for example and then put links to
lead users to purchase the full version from their blogs. I've even seen
banners of Themeforest and Codecanyon with affiliate links on the blogs of
some members.

As you read further do not get the image that the only thing I want is to
recreate and use stuff that has been developed already to release themes
and plugins to wordpress.org. I want to build original stuff too, but I
want to quickly see how it goes first.

I will list all of the questions here and hope to finally clear it all out
:)

1) Is it ok to have a blog + affiliate links like that and promote it with
free GPL themes and plugins. I am not gonna put affiliate links in the
themes files or anywhere on pages on wordpress.org. The affiliate links
will stay on my blog only.

Now on what can/can't be hosted in the wordpress.org repository

2) If I make a theme from another theme. Let say I take Twenty Eleven and
redesing it, so it have a good new look. I use the whole back-end
functionality the way it is. Name my theme "Twenty Eleven New Line" or
something like that but keep the original name. Is this fine?

3) what is acceptable? When I say redesign... do I have to create psd html
css files from scratch or I can use whatever is in the theme I am
redesigning and work on what has already been done.
To get a new great looking design I can work on existing psd files and save
coding time using existing html/css.

4) If I redesign for example the woothemes Swatch theme
http://www.woothemes.com/2011/08/swatch/
It is completely free. I have asked them and they told me that I can do
whatever I want with that theme and re-distribute it wherever I  want. They
said that even for wordpress.org repository.
Is this acceptable?

About links to me. I don't quite get where can/can't put links. I
understand SEO back links and viagra links are not acceptable at all. I was
thinking of:

5) theme or plugin option page - a donate link or a link to my blog?

6) theme description page?
For example here http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/ I
see a link "Upgrade to pro version" on the second line of the description.
I assume it is acceptable to have links like that?

7) can I put links to my social media, like Follow me on twitter on the
description pages of my themes and plugins on wordpress.org

8) Let's say I sell a plugin on CodeCanyon.net. I upload a Light version of
that plugin on wordpress.org repository. Put links to my blog, to the
review page of my full version plugin. And from that page of my blog users
can go and purchase it from codecanyon. I am not gonna put links directly
from wordpress.org to codecanyon.
Both light and pro version are my creation from scratch.
If this is not acceptable, what is the difference if I sell the pro version
on my blog (like all in one seo pack) and elsewhere like codecanyon?

I hope to clear it all this time. :)

Thank you for your help in advance and again sorry if some of my questions
are silly.

--
Regards,
Petar
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.wordpress.org/pipermail/theme-reviewers/attachments/20120203/89856889/attachment.htm>