Now that I’m on my own hosting, I’ve decided to fully explore the many features of WordPress. I’ve been introduced {by myself, haha} to the wonderful world of plugins and since then, I’ve been on a plugin rampage.
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Definition: “Plugins are pieces of code created with the purpose of expanding the functionalities of a software, in this case of WordPress. There are literally thousands of WordPress plugins already created, solving a wide range of problems and needs.”

• Google Reader: Instead of copying and pasting links and making them into a Weekend Reading post, I can just tag the posts I love and they show up on the right sidebar {check out the What I’m Reading section”}
• Insert Headers and Footers: Allows me to insert code into the header or footer of my blog. This is convenient if you’d like to have Google Analytics on your site or blog without inserting the code on each individual page
• Google Analyticator: Installs Google Analytics and lets me see a short summary of my stats from my dashboard
• Broken Link Checker: Apparently search engines don’t like to see broken links on a site, so this plugin notifies me if I have any broken ones
• Instagram for WordPress: Shows my latest Instagram pictures as a sidebar widget and has an easy picture embedder {I have yet to use the second feature}
• Share Buttons by Lockerz / AddToAny: Responsible for the sleek “Share” buttons you see at the bottom of each post
• Slickr Flickr: Displays Flickr pictures in a slideshow or gallery {like in my Shelton Vineyards post}
• Yet Another Related Posts Plugin: Generates a list of related blog posts based on tags {see it at the end of this post; helps keep people on the blog even longer!}
• WP Twitter: Lists my latest tweets as a sidebar widget {it often has trouble loading}
• Akismet: Blocks spam comments. Enough said!

Awhile back, all of this would have been foreign to me. It’s very empowering to teach myself about analytics, tricks, and codes! If you have any questions, feel free to email me, though I’m certainly no expert.

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