Agabus (mark adams)

I have a two-part blogging philosophy: (a) increase functionality, and (b) keep it simple. I want my blog to be a blog, but a darn useful one with lots of content. The following plugins modestly increase the functionality of WordPress, without bloating the system.

1. WP-Forum (Fahlstad Design) — Kept to a few forums (areas of interest), a discussion board can be  complementary to ones blog. People are sometimes more likely to comment if they can start their own topics. Hopefully, an active topic in the forum will attract people to the main blog. WP-Forum integrates easily with WordPress, essentially working off WP’s code without interfering with the blog content. The newest version is offered directly from the script’s author (see link above).

(No longer recommended — Sept. 4, 2009) 2. WP-Link-Directory (SeanBluestone.com) — This one is still in the “beta” stage, but it’s potential is mind blowing. The plugin creates its own directory, separate from WP link list (the “blog roll”). While many like it for its reciprocal links capability, definitely a plus, what appeals to me is that it is a fully-functional link directory. Being able to present links in categories is vital: No one likes long lists of links. WP-Link-Directory also has a search function.

3. NextGEN Gallery (Alex.rabe) — I don’t need to say much about this one. But, if you’re new to WordPress, you should know that NexGEN is the most popular, most functional photo gallery for WordPress. Galleries and albums (collections of galleries) can be placed on pages and in posts. It’s also integrated into your publishing system.

4. Contact Form 7 (iDeasilo) — Not robust, but highly functional. I use it principally for maintaining a contact form. (Placing ones e-mail address online generates massive amounts of spam!) It can be used in pages and posts, and for all sorts of purposes. It is not as complicated as some other plugins.

5. Quotes Collection (Quotes Collection) — Wanting a random quotes widget that I could maintain myself, Quotes Collection serves my needs well. My one complaint is that you cannot import quotes nor can you export them for backup purposes. But, a random quote, reflecting the specific theme of my blog, is massively useful. Quotes Collection is fairly simple to use.

6. Email Users (Email Users) — This is not a complex mail system plugin, nor is it feature-packed, which is a good thing. Email Users adds a new function to the “write” section, allowing you to send messages to individuals or groups. This plugin does not place many demands on the WordPress script.

7. FD Footnotes (FD Footnotes) — If you publish academic work, you may want to add footnoting to your site. Typically, if a document is laden with footnotes, I  post it as a PDF. But occasionally, I want to post a short, footnoted piece, and FD Footnotes gets the job done. (See it in action here — just ignore the content if you’re not into theological controversies.)

8. Insights (Insights) — Can’t say enough about this plugin. Insights adds a search box to the posting section of WordPress, allowing bloggers to search their blog or Internet for content. Then, one can drag-and-drop that content into the post.

9. Popupper (Popupper) — Warning: Popups suck, but, used judiciously, they can be enormously useful, especially for explaining complex terms without forcing the user to navigate away from your blog. This plugin can be used for images or text, or both (see example above, number eight). Note: Doesn’t work well in IE — really messes up the appearance.

10. WP-Print (Lesterchan.net) — Some themes are graphically intensive and printing from screen is unbearable. Every blog should have a “print” function. This plugin adds that functionality quite easily.

If you feel I’ve missed something, please add it in the comment section.

Similar Posts:

• Best plugins for increasing functionality of WordPress
• New link directory at Agabus.com
• Review: Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan’s WordPress plugins
• Quotes collection at Agabus.com
• WordPress 2.7 improves the admin experience

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