Nice to see you here again! I'm thrilled and honored that you've stopped by my blog one more time and I hope that you're finding some valuable info that's helping you grow your business. If you're ready to take some serious action and partner with me and my team and find real success using the power of the Internet to grow your business, click right here to get started.
There’s been a lot of talk going on lately about blogs here in the network marketing portion of the Interwebs, with questions about free blogs, self-hosted blogs and getting traffic to blogs, just to name a few.
Now, I’ve been installing and running blogs for nearly 4 years now (my first one was running WordPress v.1.0 I believe…) and I’ve seen everything that has come down the pipeline that has to do with blogging.
And from experience, I can tell you the one thing that you MUST be using with your blog to get the most out of your blogging efforts…
And that’s plug-ins.
For the newer folks out there (forgive me, all you old farts) – a plug-in is a small program, or combination of programs, that sits on top of your WordPress installation and increases the functionality of your website in some way. (Translation: Plug-ins allow your blog to have more features and to do more than it could when you first installed it.) Most plug-ins are written in the PHP scripting language and add an additional feature or function to your website.
Plug-ins integrate seamlessly with WordPress so there’s no messing with your WordPress code. That’s another great thing about plug-ins. They don’t actually affect your original WordPress install. They reside separately and just interact with WordPress.
How did plug-ins get “invented”? The development of plug-ins came about by programmers who wanted to increase the function of WordPress without having to alter the code within WordPress itself. Basically, programmers said “I wish WordPress could do this extra thing” – and then created plug-ins to make it happen. Of course other developers got excited by this and it spread. More and more developers jumped on board and created these small add-ons to the WordPress code and now WordPress can do more than the original creators ever dreamed it could simply due to these little plug-ins.
The vast majority of plug-ins are free and therefore it is important to understand that they do not come with technical support services. When choosing a plug-in, it is a good idea to review this list:
- How long it has been since that plug-in was updated.
- Whether the plug-in homepage still exists.
- If people seeking support on the plug-in have received answers to their questions.
- The overall tone of the discussions on the plug-in download page.
There is a plug-in for virtually anything you want to accomplish in WordPress. If you want to monitor your visitor statistics, increase interaction with your visitors, add a photo gallery, automatically back up your database or anything else you have a desire to do with your site, you can most likely find a plug-in to use, and like I said, most of them are free.
Got it? Good. Now that you understand the basics of plug-ins, come back over the next few days and we’ll talk about some of the most essential plug-ins that you’ll need to have the most impact with your blog. I’ll leave no stone unturned as we find the plug-in treasures you’ll need to achieve blog domination.
To Your Unending Blogging Success,
Mike Paul
P.S. Did you like this post? How ’bout a little ReTweet luv? And have we connected on Facebook and Twitter yet? Why not?
P.P.S. Wanna know all about WordPress plugins and how they can help you out? Sign up for my newsletter using the form below and you’ll get a ton on inside info on which WordPress plugins to use AND how to use them to their fullest extent.
Related posts:
- Plug-Ins to Help You Prevent a Blog Disaster on Your Business Blog
- How Social Is Your Blog? Plug-Ins That Put the “Social” in Your Blog
- Who, When, Where? Plug-Ins to Track and Analyze Your Blog Statistics
- WordPress Plug-Ins that Help Your Site Run Faster and Smarter
- MLM Secrets – Automating Your Lead Generation With Your Blog
6 Comments
Hey Mike,
That is good that you are providing information for newbies. It's important to know what plug-ins are. Which are a must for your blog. Great job explaining it!
Chat with you later…
Josh
I wish I had known more about plug-ins when I first started blogging.
There's been such an advancement in the plug-ins that are available
now that you can do practically anything with your blog.
It's just a matter of finding the right plug-in for your purpose and
using it correctly.
Thanks for stopping by,
Mike
Hey Mike,
You're right, there's just about any plug-in you can find. In fact, there are plug-ins for plug-ins. LOL
But seriously, it's important to use plug-ins and select the ones that will make blogging that much easier.
Have a great evening,
Jerome Ratliff
Hey Mike,
That is good that you are providing information for newbies. It's important to know what plug-ins are. Which are a must for your blog. Great job explaining it!
Chat with you later…
Josh
I wish I had known more about plug-ins when I first started blogging.
There's been such an advancement in the plug-ins that are available
now that you can do practically anything with your blog.
It's just a matter of finding the right plug-in for your purpose and
using it correctly.
Thanks for stopping by,
Mike
Hey Mike,
You're right, there's just about any plug-in you can find. In fact, there are plug-ins for plug-ins. LOL
But seriously, it's important to use plug-ins and select the ones that will make blogging that much easier.
Have a great evening,
Jerome Ratliff