6. WIDGETS 101
•wordpress.org says widgets are “things you use
to personalize your site”
•self-contained blocks of content/functionality
•placed into dynamic sidebars*
•may be highly configurable (or not)
* need not actually be sidebars
8. 1. CUSTOM MENUS
• new with wordpress 3
• great for sectional
navigation
• make WordPress a
legitimate CMS
9. 2. RSS FEED
• Leverage RSS: use other
people’s content!
• Lots of things are RSS,
such as a Google News
feed of a keyword
• Keeps site current, fresh
and useful
10. 3. ARBITRARY TEXT
• As simple as can be
• Often overlooked
solution
• Ultimate flexibility
12. 4. ADSENSE ADS
• Make money off your
site!
• Easy to set up
• Example: Easy
AdSense Pro
13. 5. POLLS
• Engage your audience while
you learn about them
• Used by major sites
(CNN, Slashdot.org,
ESPN, etc)
• Several plugins support
polling users, such as UPM
Polls and WP-Polls
14. 6. FOSTER DIALOGUE
• Provide an avenue
other than post
comments for users to
express themselves
• Even realtime chat!
• Plugins such as
Shoutbox, FCChat
15. 7. HIGHLIGHT RELATED
CONTENT
• Avoid “dead ends” and
increase page views
• Can be done manually
but that’s inconvenient
• Example plugin: IGIT
Related Posts
16. 8. BRING CONTENT IN
• RSS is just the
beginning
• Flickr photos
• Google Maps
• YouTube channel
• ...you name it!