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Blogger has certainly pulled out all the stops when it comes to gadgets
for your blogs. When I started blogging years ago there were just a handful of gadgets on offer. This number has steadily grown and now you can access more than a thousand of them simply by going to your blog's Layout and Add a gadget.
Of course, if you were to add them all there would be no place left to actually do any posting. This is why I've come up with a list of what I think are the best Blogger
gadgets, new and old, to add to your blog.
Pages
This is a new addition to Blogger. It's terribly useful for additions like an 'About me' or a 'links' page
. Go to your layout page. 'Add a gadget' then add 'pages.' Once you've done this you can design
whatever you want for this feature and showcase it on your link bar or your side panel etc. Move it around on your blog until you've got it in a prominent place where it won't be missed by passing visitors.
Followers
Many bloggers don't see a need to add this gadget because they don't think it helps the look of the blog in any way. This is a mistake. Having a followers
' panel makes it clear that you want to make friends. It calls your viewer to a course of action. It asks them to follow your blog, to come back and read it again. Remember that like search engines, people also follow the crowd. If you have no follow panel, chances are you won't be added to anyone's friend-connection circles. This is also a valid chance to offer your visitors something back. People can arrive on their site from yours. You're advertising their blogs as they are yours, when you follow them.
HTML/Javascript
These days it's almost impossible to have a blog without adding a few html/javascript
panels to it. If you're going to have any ads on your blog, a blog list showcasing your links, your books, your other sites etc. you need to add this gadget. It can also be used to implement things like add this panels, twitter
updates, follow me, add me on facebook etc. Many bloggers prefer to use html/javascript instead of messing with their blog's general html codes.
Blog list
This gadget has two basic uses. The first one naturally, is simply to pay back your blogging friends for supporting you. You advertise
their sites on your blog so that your readers can be introduced to them and vice versa. The second purpose of having a blog list is to make it easy for you to keep up with what's happening with the blogs you like to read. It's difficult to keep up with your friends' recent posts. A blog list saves you from having to visit your favourite sites individually to check for their latest articles. Instead, you can easily see the new posts from your very own page. There is an option in this gadget. You can choose to feature just the titles of the posts, or pictures, snippets, dates etc. Play around until you get exactly what's right for you.
Subscribe
Put this in a prominent place on your blog. Similar to the followers panel, this calls for a definite course of action from your visitors. By just clicking on a button
they can subscribe to your page and get all your posts by email.
Recent Posts
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Recent Comments
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This is another very important gadget to show your friends and supporters how much you appreciate them. Research has shown that blogs with a 'recent comments' gadget have more comments per post than blogs without it. People who leave comments are aware that their names/blogs are advertised for free on your site. This is a chance not to be sneezed at. This gadget can be properly edited. You can choose how many characters you want displayed. Your commentators will have their names displayed on your blog, but you can choose how much of the actual comment you want there. I suggest using shorter forms of each comment (fewer characters
) so that you can get a larger number of commentators on the front page.
Twitter Update
Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook
play a very important role in your blogging life. Allow the people who land on your page to make contact with you by choosing to add this gadget to your blog. Your new twitter followers can help spread the word about your blog on Twitter, and you can do the same for them.
Blogger has certainly pulled out all the stops when it comes to gadgets
for your blogs. When I started blogging years ago there were just a handful of gadgets on offer. This number has steadily grown and now you can access more than a thousand of them simply by going to your blog's Layout and Add a gadget.Of course, if you were to add them all there would be no place left to actually do any posting. This is why I've come up with a list of what I think are the best Blogger
gadgets, new and old, to add to your blog. Pages
. Go to your layout page. 'Add a gadget' then add 'pages.' Once you've done this you can design whatever you want for this feature and showcase it on your link bar or your side panel etc. Move it around on your blog until you've got it in a prominent place where it won't be missed by passing visitors.Followers
' panel makes it clear that you want to make friends. It calls your viewer to a course of action. It asks them to follow your blog, to come back and read it again. Remember that like search engines, people also follow the crowd. If you have no follow panel, chances are you won't be added to anyone's friend-connection circles. This is also a valid chance to offer your visitors something back. People can arrive on their site from yours. You're advertising their blogs as they are yours, when you follow them.HTML/Javascript
panels to it. If you're going to have any ads on your blog, a blog list showcasing your links, your books, your other sites etc. you need to add this gadget. It can also be used to implement things like add this panels, twitter updates, follow me, add me on facebook etc. Many bloggers prefer to use html/javascript instead of messing with their blog's general html codes.Blog list
their sites on your blog so that your readers can be introduced to them and vice versa. The second purpose of having a blog list is to make it easy for you to keep up with what's happening with the blogs you like to read. It's difficult to keep up with your friends' recent posts. A blog list saves you from having to visit your favourite sites individually to check for their latest articles. Instead, you can easily see the new posts from your very own page. There is an option in this gadget. You can choose to feature just the titles of the posts, or pictures, snippets, dates etc. Play around until you get exactly what's right for you. Subscribe
they can subscribe to your page and get all your posts by email.Recent Posts
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It helps to have archives so that passing visitors can see what your blog is about. In addition, with Blogger's gadgets, you can choose to place your recent posts in a prominent position on your page. You can edit this gadget for size and choose the amount of posts you want included. From just one panel, visitors can access your recent articles with a click of a button.
Recent Comments
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) so that you can get a larger number of commentators on the front page. Twitter Update
Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook
play a very important role in your blogging life. Allow the people who land on your page to make contact with you by choosing to add this gadget to your blog. Your new twitter followers can help spread the word about your blog on Twitter, and you can do the same for them.
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