20+ Useful Blogger Widgets and Hacks

Blogger is a great free blog platform that is improving every day. New useful hacks and widgets are being created on a regular basis. Here is a list of some of the very best blogger widgets and blogger hacks that will improve the usability of your blog.

Blogger Hacks

Related Posts Widget
Display related posts beneath each of your blog posts. Links are displayed based on labels given to each post.

Tag Cloud Widget
Display a simple tag cloud in your blog's sidebar. The tags are displayed based upon the labels given to each post.

Random Posts Button
This widget creates a link for your template that directs users to a random post when clicked on.

Change the Favicon
Are you tired of the regular organge favicon provided by blogger? This tutorial will teach you how to display your own customized favicon.

Top Commentators Widget
Reward your readers for commenting on your blog with this widget. The widget displays the names of the top commentators and will direct you to their website when clicked on.

Change the Title Tags for More Search Engine Traffic
This tutorial teaches you how to make your post title show up before your blog title in Google search results. This is very important when it comes to Search Engine Optimization!

Recent Posts with Thumbnails
Grab your readers attention with an appealing recent posts widget which includes thumbnails.

Recent Comments Widget
Make your blog look alive by displaying recent comment discussions.

Digg Vote Button
Let your Digg readers Digg your posts directly from your blog with this handy little widget.

Search Bar for Blogger
This widget displays a small search bar in your blog's footer. Your readers will be able to easily search your blog for specific content.

Table of Contents
Allow your readers to easily navigate through your site with an interactive Table of Contents.

Blog Widgets

Facebook Widgets
Connect your blog or website with your Facebook Account using these powerful widgets.

Currently Online Readers Widget
A small widget which display how many users are currently online. The widget also indicates which pages are currently being looked at.

Contact Admin Widget
Let your users stay in touch with you with this contact form.

Post Ratings by Outbrain
Let your users give your post a star rating from one to five.

Social Bookmarking Widget
This widget lets your users to easily bookmark your blog posts at the bottom of each post.

PageRank Buttons
 Showoff your blog's Google PageRank with this small widget.

Google Talk Chat Back Badge
A Google Talk chatback badge will let visitors to your web page chat with you. They'll be able to chat with you whenever you're signed in to Google Talk.

Twitter Widget Tools
A great post containg 502 twitter widget tools, buttons, and icons for Engaging your followers.

PayPal Donation Button
If you've got a loyal reader community that might be willing to sponsor you as a blogger, this would be the way.

Google Buzz Share Button
Another way to share your content across a great social network.

Performancing Ads Widget
Another way to make some money from your blog by letting others advertise on your site.

Sudoku Puzzle Widget
Have some fun on your blog with this interactive sudoku game that will easily go in the sidebar.  The sudoku has five different levels of difficulty.

Other

Change Your Template
Choose from a huge list of custom blog templates. Providing your blog with a new design will make it look fresh and new.

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ProPress - Free Blogger Template

ProPress is the first free blogger template that I have created.  I first used this template for WidgetsForFree™ not too long ago, but then too many people requested this template for themselves.  So I have decided to release ProPress as a free download at TheBlogTemplates.com. I hope you all enjoy this template very much! Instructions on customizing the template can be found here. If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I will answer them as best I can.

Features:

2 Columns, Blue, Fixed Width, Right Sidebar

Screenshot:

Live Demo -  Download This Template

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Weather Widget for Website & Blog

Having the latest weather updates on your blog keep your site alive and fresh for your visitors. The easiest way to show off your local weather forecast on your website is with weather widgets, which can easily be implemented in your blog. Each weather widget displays the temperature, wind details, and much more.



Ibegin Weather Widget
Just enter your City, Zip Code, or State to show your local weather forecast. This weather widget will show the current weather and weather forecast with small icons.

WeatherBugWidget
This WeatherBug widget comes in multiple sizes which display your local weather forecast.
50x250, 180x150, 160x600, 300x250 , 125x125 and 728x90.

Weather.com Live Weather Widget
Another nice weather widget  by Weather.com, which can easily be implemented in the sidebar of your blog!
WidgetBox Weather Widgets
Choose from a large selection of widgets to show of your local weather.
WeatherReports Widget
Lets you choose the theme of your weather widget.

How to Add these Widgets to your Blog?
Please take note that all of the widgets above can easily be implemented into your blog. These weather widgets are for Blogger, WordPress, Typepad, and all the other blogging platforms. Go to the website and customize the widget, then copy and paste the HTML code into your blog. Then you're done! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

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Dark SkyLine - Free Blogger Template

Dark SkyLine is another free blogger template that I have created. The template has a nice navigation menu in the header section, which can easily be customized with your own links. The template can be downloaded for free at TheBlogTemplates.com. If you have any questions on how to implement this blogger template into your blog, please feel free to ask.

Features:

2 Columns, Blue, Fixed Width, Right Sidebar

Screenshot:

Live Demo -  Download This Template

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10 Facebook Widgets and Tools for Your Website and Blog

Facebook is the largest social networking site with more than 400 million active users and is growing larger every day! Make sure to use these Facebook widgets to connect with your large Facebook audience through your blog or website. You can use these tools to easily share certain profile information, websites, blogs, and businesses with the Facebook community.

Personal Profile Widgets

Profile Badge
Create a Facebook profile badge to share selected profile information on your website. A profile badge will allow your users to easily connect with you and add you as a friend.

Photo Badge
This photo badge allows you to share your Facebook photos on websites and blogs. Choose from a vertical, horizontal, or two-column layout and also choose the number of photos to be displayed.

Fan Badge
Display your Facebook fan pages for all to see.

Website or Business Widgets

Share Button
A powerful facebook widget which allows your visitors to share your content on Facebook!

Fan Box
Lets your users easily become a fan of your site and also allows them to view your Facebook page stream.

Page Badge
Lets you share your Facebook page (one that you have created) information on your website.

Twitter Link
Connect your Facebook page with Twitter. Whenever you update your Facebook fan page your twitter followers will be updated as well with a tweet.

Developers Widgets

Publishing to Facebook
This allows your users to publish their content and activity to Facebook.

Comments Box
Lets your users comment on your website content with their Facebook account.

Live Stream
Lets Facebook users to post and share content in real-time.

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Add Google Buzz Share Button - Widget for Blogger

Google Buzz is a great social tool which is very similiar to Twitter and Facebook. It's a wonderful way to engage and interact with your readers! Make sure to implement these Google Buzz buttons into your blogger posts, so that users can easily share your content on Google Buzz.

Add Google Buzz it Button to Blogger

1. Go to Layout >Edit HTML in your Blogger Dashboard.
2. Back up your existing Template before making any changes!
3. Make sure to check the "Expand Widget Templates" box.
4. Here is the Google Buzz it Code:
   

   <div style="float:right;padding:4px;">
   <a expr:href='&quot;http://www.google.com/reader/link?url=&quot; + data:post.url + &quot;&amp;title=&quot; + data:post.title + &quot;&amp;srcTitle=&quot; + data:blog.title+ &quot;&amp;srcURL=&quot; + data:blog.homepageUrl ' rel='nofolloW' style='text-decoration:none;' target='_blank'>
   <img alt='Buzz It' src='http://i48.tinypic.com/idyc04.png' style='border:0px;'/></a>
   </div>

5. Search for this line of code in your template:
   

   <div class='post-header-line-1'/>

   and place the Google Buzz it Code right after the code you searched for above.
   If this doesn't work, then search for this code below and place the Google Buzz it Code directly before it.
   

   <data:post.body/>

6. Now save your template and you're done!
   

Add Google Buzz Button with Share Count to Blogger

1. Here is the Google Buzz it with Share Count Code
   

   <div style="float:right;padding:4px;"> <script type='text/javascript'> njuice_buzz_url = '<data:post.title/>'; njuice_buzz_title = '<data:post.url/>'; njuice_buzz_share = 'reader'; </script> <script type='text/javascript' src='http://button.njuice.com/buzz.js'/> </div>

2. Place the Google Buzz it with Share Count Code either
   directly after this:
   

   <div class='post-header-line-1'/>

   OR
   directly before this:
   

   <data:post.body/>

3. To change the style of the widget add either
   

   njuice_buzz_size = 'small';

   or
   

   njuice_buzz_size = 'simple';

   just after
   

   njuice_buzz_share = 'reader';

4. Save your blogger template and you're done!
   

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Free Blogger Templates

TheBlogTemplates is a website where you can browse and download Free Blogger Templates as well as Free WordPress Themes. The website is run by my friend James Morgan and his partners and they also offer reviews of the Best Web Hosting Plans. You can follow them on twitter: @TheBlogTemplate or join them on Facebook.

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Lubuntu 11.04 Alpha 2 finally released

The second alpha release of Lubuntu 11.04 has been made available for testing.

The release, which was delayed from its expected 3rd of February slot due to unforeseen circumstances,  comes with no major change from the first Alpha.

Audacious sits in place as the default music player whilst web-cam app Cheese and file-extraction tool XArchive have been replaced, the latter with with file-roller – a tool Ubuntu users will be familiar with.

Download

.Iso download can be found @ this link. There is also a torrent available.

Related posts:

1. Lubuntu 10.10 Alpha 1 released
2. Lubuntu Alpha 3 Released (Screenshots added)
3. Lubuntu Alpha 2 Released; Gets New Bootsplash, Artwork, File Manager

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Ubuntu Wine integration tool ‘Vineyard’ gets new pre-release

A new pre-release of Ubuntu-Wine integration tool ‘Vineyard’ has been made available for testing.

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Program editing is now easier in the latest Vineyard release

What’s Vineyard?

Vineyard provides Ubuntu users with an easy way to configure their Wine-based applications,  whilst also ensuring tight integration between Wine and the GNOME desktop.

What’s new?

New features present in the pre-release include: -

• Refreshed indicator icons by Connor Carney
• Program adding
• Program menu category editing
• Programs can disable Pulse Audio whilst running

This is on top of an already swollen set of features including: -

• Nautilus integration
• Winetricks integration
• Pre-installation of support packages when double-clicking an exe
• Integration with WineHQ's AppDB
• Better compatibility with older Windows programs
• Direct ISO/BIN/NRG/IMG/MDF support for drives
• Enhanced library overrides (not just on/off)

Download

To the part you’re really here for: how do you get it?

The recommended method is to add the Vineyard PPA. This ensures you remain automatically up-to-date with fixes and features as they become available.

To add it via a Terminal enter: -

• sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cybolic/vineyard-testing
• sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install vineyard

For the PPA-shy there are also standalone .deb packages available: -

• python-wine pre9
• vineyard pre9

Further info: Vineyard Homepage

Related posts:

1. Integrate Wine in Ubuntu with ‘Vineyard’
2. Integrate Wine in Ubuntu with ‘Vineyard’
3. Wine 1.3.1 Released

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Flash Player 10.2 released with Stage Video hardware acceleration

Abode has released Flash Player 10.2, bringing with it the much vaunted (['_trackEvent','outbound-article','www.adobe.com']);">Stage Video API.

Stage video… “enables beautiful, high-performance video playback …by enabling access to hardware acceleration of the entire video pipeline.” The Stage Video API promises to “…[reduce] processor usage by up to 85 percent” whilst also allowing for smooth 1080p playback.

Stage Video will be supported by YouTube and Vimeo, amongst others, shortly.

Other new features present in the update include:

• Support for full screen mode with multiple monitors

• Native mouse cursors
• Sub-pixel text rendering

Download @ get.adobe.com/flashplayer. Note that only Ubuntu 9.10 upwards is officially supported.

Ivan via Tipform

Related posts:

1. Adobe Flash 10.2 Beta released
2. 64bit Flash for Linux returns
3. Lightspark Open Source Flash Player enters Beta

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Unity launcher gets file-type savvy

Neat things about Unity #457: Intelligent launchers.

: 0px;" title="tumblr_lgcu3h6RjY1qb5bmy" src="http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/tumblr_lgcu3h6RjY1qb5bmy_thumb.jpg" border="0" alt="tumblr_lgcu3h6RjY1qb5bmy" width="228" height="376" /> Jorge Castro explains:

“…when you drag a certain file type into the launcher the application that launches it stays lit, but the rest "shut off".

So assuming you have say, GIMP and Shotwell in your launcher dragging a .png close to the launcher will keep those lit and the ones that don't support .png will not be lit. “

Taking the words out of my mouth when he calls this “Small, but slick.”

Via Jorge’s Stompbox

Related posts:

1. Docklet API ‘coming’ to Unity Launcher [updated]
2. Intellihide added to Unity Launcher
3. Ubuntu Unity launcher won’t be ‘moveable’

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PCPro to run on Ubuntu – for one day only

PCPro – a website and magazine purposed primarily around Windows – are to switch operations to Ubuntu for one day.

The ‘stunt’ is an attempt to drum up interest for their latest Ubuntu-featuring issue, which also sees Linux grace the front-cover for the first time in the magazine’s 17 year run.

From writing up news and reviews in OpenOffice to replying to e-mails via Evolution – all non-other-os critical output will take place in Ubuntu using free and open-source tools.

They do note, however, that due to their nature as a Windows-based magazine they will need to retain access to Windows for application/hardware test/review purposes.

Track the ‘#ubuntupro’ hashtag on Twitter tomorrow to monitor how the exercise goes. We’ll be sure to retweet anything particularly humorous on the @omgubuntu twitter account, too.

Sofox via Tip Form

No related posts.

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