So, what is a widget? It is a “a live update on a website, webpage, or desktop. Widgets contain personalized neatly organized content or applications selected by its user.” (source). In simple terms, a widget is a small chunk of code which can add more functionality to a website. Users can configure them to suit their needs.
On blogger, there are two types of widgets: There are gadgets that you can find on your blogger interface by going to the page elements on the layout tab. Click on add a gadget and you will be presented with a number of gadgets that you can include on your blog: (Followers gadget, Search box gadget, picture gadget, etc..). The names are self-explanatory: if you want add followers (a place where visitors can choose to follow your blog) use the Followers gadget. If you want to add a picture, use the Picture gadget, and so on.. The three most important widgets will be discussed in the hacks and tricks post.
the second type of widgets are those that you can download from other websites: one of these is widgetbox which exhibits an abundance of widgets organized by tag. Other websites or blogs choose a list of top widgets that they recommend to their users: widgetsforfree, mashable, widgets-gadgets, bashbosh , etc..
While widgets are most often great looking and one is tempted to use as many of them as possible, it is important to remember using a lot of them may be as detrimental as having nothing interesting to show at all. They can make your blog look cumbersome and readers may just find a lot of staff and no “breathing” space frustrating and amateurish. Moreover, they can add to your page-loading time, which may make your readers flee.
Here are some rules-of-thumb for picking widgets: The most important is that “less is more”: Choose only those that can benefit your readers and your blog. Think in terms of what may encourage interactivity with your readers: recent comments and top commenters widgets (discussed in the hacks and tricks post) are ideal for encouraging your readers to comment on your blog and posts. Star ratings give your readers a chance to say what they think about your content.
Think also about keeping your blog organized with widgets. the Labels gadget which will be discussed later is a good trick to make your site well-managed and easy to browse. Recent posts (to be discussed in hacks and tricks post ) and Popular posts from techknowl can prove useful for displaying latest content.
One other important criterion to consider is which gadgets can help pumping up the traffic to your blog: show off your visitors by using this cool widget from feedjit.
Next post: Blogger hacks and tricks: most wanted
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