Plugins are something new that you are going to find on your dashboard while moving to self hosted wordpress blog. Plugins, as the name suggests, adds more features and addons to your blog.
Most Popular Plugins:
Wordpress.com stats – so that you won’t miss your stats as you used ton wordpress.com blogs. This plugin needs a wordpress.com API code, which you fill find on your wordpress dashboard ( link )
All in One SEO – For SEO crazy bloggers. I have installed it, but not sure how to make the best out of it. Yep, I am not a SEO guy.
Auto Tager : Suggests and adds tags automatically when you write, edit and publish your blog posts. Very useful.
WP 2.3 Related Posts – This will generate a related posts list via tags. You can add them to your blog posts ( by editing the single.php file and adding a single line of code there ) or even rss feeds.
Google XML Sitemaps – Generates google sitemap for wordpress. This will help you reach Google search idnex faster. Good for SEO again.
Akismet – Created by the wordpress team, for fighting spam comments on your blog. Needs the wordpress.com api key, like the wordpress.com stats plugin.
So, that is a list of the most popular plugins on wordpress.org, soon, I will give you the list of my favorite wordpress plugins, ( including the one for sexy sidebar with flash animation )
Downloading and Uploading Plugins
The best place for downloading wordpress plugins, is wordpress.org/extend/plugins. Here you will get most of the plugins for download. Upload your plugins to wordpress’ /wp-content/plugins forder and activate the plugin from the dashboard.
Easy !!!
Wait, forget all that… with wordpress 2.7.0, which is the next release of wordpress, you will not have to download or upload plugins !! Yes, you can do this straight from your dashboard, ( almost similar to the method used to install firefox addons ). You browse for plugins from the dashboard, and with few mouse clicks, it gets added to your blog !! Magic !!
So, that’s about it, plugins !! isn’t it really easy ?
Dinu I hope you can make a pdf of all your how to tutorials. This will be very useful. And give the link to the pdf in the Must Read section.
@ Chirax
thanks .. and yea, I do have that plan, after I finish writing this series …..
I think you are posting all nomination oriented posts now
Plugins I am using:
Akismet
All in one SEO
Google Analytics for wordpress
Google XML Sitemaps
OZH drop down menu (Customizes Admin page)
Popular posts
Related posts
Random posts
Sociable (Social Bookmarking Icons)
Theme test drive(2.6)
Wassup (Real time Stats,uses Analytics Api)
Woopra - (Real time stats) - Currently De-active
There’s a typo in your ‘plugis forlder’.
@ Anhul
thanks for the list
hmm this is not nomination oriented post, I am trying to complete my blog hosting how to series.. and then publish it as a pdf ebook or something 
will check the typo
dont they give all these free them …
i mean liek inbuilt ..
like they do in freee word[press ???
@ arvind
come on man .. they are like, hundreds of them, you can a hell lot of things with plugins .. and yes, of course 99.99% of them are free
no body knows what you need, so, not built in … but the basics are .
on free wordpress, there is no way you can add them, so they add it for you .. hope you got my point
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