Shanghai Tech WriterTechnical Writing, Technology, Web2.0, Google, Shanghai, China

In an earlier post, I listed a bunch of my favorite WordPress plugins. I’ve been adding to that list as I discover more plugins. However, the list might be overwhelming if you are a new WordPress user or a new blogger. WordPress is very easy to use but at the same time, there are many advanced features like customizing themes, templates, and plugins that many new WordPress users might not be familiar with.

Here are five WordPress plugins that you can start with and why you should install them.

1. Akismet—Akismet protects your blog from spammers. After you setup a new blog, you will find that in a matter of weeks, spammers will discover your blog and start posting spam comments. When people leave comments, the default WordPress setting keeps the comments in moderation until you approve of them. Every time a spammer leaves a comment, you have to delete them one at a time. You could also delete all the comments in moderation queue, but you might easily overlook comments that are not spam since 9 out of 10 comments are usually spam. With Akismet, all comments are verified against Akismet web database and suspicious ones are flagged as spam. Askimet works very well and filters out 99% of spam. With Akismet, you can change your WordPress setting to post comments immediately. Serious bloggers need to make commenting on blogs easier. My personal recommendation is to skip comment moderation altogether and leave Akismet to do the work. You could also consider adding additional spam protection like Math Comment Spam Protection to protect against robot spammers.
2. OneClick Installer—The beauty of WordPress is that you can manage your blog/website without the use of FTP. However, if you want to do advance customization like adding theme templates and plugins, you do need FTP access to upload those files. OneClick allows you to install theme templates and plugins directly from your WordPress dashboard. You can upload the zip files from your computer or install them directly from the URL link. Say goodbye to FTP! (Note: You will need to use FTP one last time to upload and install this plugin)
3. PXS Mail Form—This plugin adds a contact form to your blog. Readers can fill out the form to contact you directly so that you don’t have to post your email address online. You should never post your email address anywhere on your blog because spammers will find it and send you tons of spam. There are many different contact form plugins that are good. PXS Mail Form is simple and easy to add. Other ones, like cformII, provide a lot more features and advanced customization. If you want just a simple one, try PXS Mail Form.
   
4. Subscribe to Comments—As your blog becomes more popular, people will start commenting on your posts. When readers leave a comment, they might be interested in reading other people’s comments or even, your response to them. This plugin allows readers to subscribe to comments of that particular post. Every time someone leaves a new comment, they will receive an email notification of new comments. With this plugin, you can interact and engage with your readers, an important aspect to blogging. Without the plugin, readers won’t ever know if you or anyone else replied to their comments unless they check the original post frequently.
5. WordPress Related Posts—The more articles you write, the more content you will have on your blog. The way WordPress is setup, your main page is likely to display the most recent posts. Old posts will “disappear” from the main page and will not be easily accessible to readers unless they search for them. With WRP, you can include a list of related articles at the end of each post. WRP uses tags to check for related posts. This feature makes it easier for readers to read other posts that might be of interest. It also helps to keep the content of your blog active and alive.