One of the greatest things about Wordpress, is the never-ending list of plugins (add-ons) that go with it. Plugins are created every day, and can add great functionality to your blog. I’ve compiled a list, which will be posted in installments, of the necessary plugins, to make your blog, functional, productive, and safe.

Askimet - One of the most difficult tasks while running your blog, is keeping up with the spam. Spammers try to load your comment section with ads, often for X-rated materials, all day long. Askimet stops it. It takes all comments it considers to be spam, and puts it in a section to be moderated. 99.99% of the time, you’ll find Askiment is right. If it’s all spam, simply click the “Delete” button. Most agree this is the most important plugin, you can install.

Get Recent Comments - This plugin provides functionality to your blog, by posting excerpts of recent comments, in the sidebar of your blog. Handy if you want to provide the new visitor with the latest activity, and get them involved in the discussion.

Adsense Deluxe - This plugin allows you to automatically insert Google Adsense into your posts, which is handy if you’re looking to pay for hosting, or make a little something extra.






Related Entries - Automatically links to related posts on your blog, by searching the content of the new post. Helpful if you want to give your readers a little background on the topic.

Adhesive - This plugin allows you to bump a specific post to the top of the page, while placing the newer posts below it. If you want to highlight a specific post, this can do the job.