If you are thinking of creating a really cool blog, you should consider using WordPress. This is a great platform on which to build and host your blog. There are many WordPress (WP) themes available that will give your site a certain look, feel and functionality. Depending on how you want your site to look and its purpose will determine which theme to choose.
Individuality is important but every WP theme doesn’t come with every conceivable widget or tool available. For that reason, plugins have been created. These plugins add to the functionality of your blog and you are able to pick and choose the ones you want to use. Some might simply change the appearance of your blog, while others may add more complicated functions to it.
The creators of WordPress have built a number of plugins but many more have been created by third party individuals. WordPress has guidelines that the authors of these plugins must adhere to which is good for those of us that use them. The responsibility for the plugins and any inherent problems with a plugin lie totally with the author or creator and not WordPress.
Before you decide to use one on your WordPress site, read the ratings and comments that other users have made about them. You will find many are free but some are considered premium for which there is a fee attached. Sometimes an author will ask for a donation.
Popular plugins can include those for social media such as Twitter or Facebook. If you are selling products or services on your blog, they offer ecommerce plugins.
There are extensions for just about anything you can think of. Below is a list of several new ones along with a brief description:
- All in One SEO Pack - This little number optimizes your blog for the search engines automatically. This has a 4-Star rating.
- WPtouch – This plugin turns your blog into an iPhone app! It rates 4.5 Stars.
- Fast Secure Contact Form – This plugin gets 5-Stars! It keeps your contact form secure from use by spammers.
- Post video players, slideshow albums, photo galleries and music / podcast playlist – Now this looks really cool. It has a 4-star rating it allows you to post all of the above quickly and easily to your site.
- WP-PageNavi – Another 4-Star rating. It is a more advanced system for navigating through the pages on your site.
These are just a few of the most recent plugins found on the WordPress site. For a complete list, visit http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/. Take the time to look around because these features can really add to the appearance and function of your site.
If you like the look of our blog, we are using the WordPress Thesis theme which is a theme created by DIYThemes. We love it for it’s ease of use, very user-friendly and great support forums and valuable training tutorials. Another pro is their 30-day money back guarantee. Check out their website to learn more…
