PDA

View Full Version : wordpress widgets/ where and how many?



rezzy
02-18-2009, 11:20 AM
As I work on refactoring my blog, another question came across my mind. How many widgets should you display (out of the box widgets). What order? I think this is case by case basis, but would be interested in public opinion.

vangogh
02-18-2009, 11:55 AM
Not a question with a single answer. It really depends a lot on what you want to achieve and who your visitors are. A lot of thought is out there on too if you search around.

It's become fairly common to add things in the sidebar like recent posts and/or comments, popular posts, and your hand selected best posts. Other common widgets include various social media, polls, and ad blocks.

One thing that can happen quickly is your sidebar gets over run with widgets. Many seem like great ideas at first, but probably aren't as useful to your site. You can develop your theme to add widgets to areas other than your sidebar of course.

A few that many people leave that I remove right away are the meta info and the dated archives. I don't know anyone will be looking to read your posts by date. You should have a category archive though.

I'm mixed on adding the blogroll and have never quite figured out how I want to include one. I don't want one that links out to every blog I read since it would be too much. I would like to link out to a few though, including some friend's sites, but even then I worry if I'll offend one friend for failing to include him or her. At the moment I don't use one, but in time I probably will.

rezzy
02-18-2009, 01:18 PM
Its always location, location, location! I will search around and place any resources I find here. In case we have lurkers looking for the same information.

---I see you lurking around out there!