What are widgets?

Widgets are the add-on accessories to a blog that make it more interesting.

Widgets can:

• provide extra functionality
• offer individuality
• make money
• and do a lot of other things

So what are widgets? Well, have a look over to the right. See those two columns stuffed with little boxes? They’re WordPress widgets.

Some are the standard stuff of WordPress blogs and are there to aid navigation: Recent Posts, Pages, Blogroll. You’ll see these on most blogs but maybe in a different place, depending on the whim of the blogger.

Other widgets are more particular. The picture of my free WordPress tutorial is a widget. I designed it and stuck it up there to get the visitor’s attention. It acts as a link for the visitor get find more details.

And below that there’s a box headed ‘From the Blogosphere’. That’s a widget. That’s ‘BlogRush‘: John Reese’s famous intitiative to get all the blogs in the world (well, the ones they approve) talking together. If you’re a serious blogger, check it out.

Widgets are wizard. Widgets are wonderful. WordPress widgets are great!