This post is for Blogger.com users. Ever wanted to post some home page only content on your blog? What about a home page only widget or text link on sidebar? Or an advertisement displayed only to the home page traffic? By default, there is no option to do that on Blogger or Blogspot blogs. But, you can easily achieve that on your Blogger powered blogs by adding two simple lines of codes to your blog template. Let me show you how.

How to add blogger homepage only links or widgets/gadgets?

1. First add a new widget to you blog sidebar or any other widgetized location. To do that, sign in to your Blogger account, go to your blog Dashboard and click the “Layout” tab. Then, click “Add a Gadget” on your desired location and choose the type of gadget you want. Save the changes and remember the widget type and title.

2. So, your widget/gadget is in and it will appear on every page of your blog. Now, you need make it appear only on home page. Go to “Edit HTML” section under the “Layout” tab and click the “Expand Widget Templates” check box.

3. Now, you need to find the code for your widget. Note that all widget codes starts with same characters. Hit the “Ctrl” key and the letter “F” key at the same time. A pop-up window (Internet Explorer) or a bottom bar (Firefox) a will appear. Enter the following code in the find field.

<b:widget id=

4. Code lines which starts with <b:widget id= will be now highlighted. This is the first widget code. Use the “next” or “find next” button near your find form to locate the specific widget code. As you know the type and title of your widget, you can easily spot it inside your template codes.

Some examples of widget/gadget codes:

For label widget:

<b:widget id='Label1' locked='false' title='Labels' type='Label'>

For HTML widget:

<b:widget id='HTML1' locked='false' title='Extras' type='HTML'>

For Link List:

<b:widget id='LinkList1' locked='false' title='My Links' type='LinkList'>

5. Now, let’s assume that you want to make the link list appear only on your blog home page. Locate the code for link list. Just below that specific line, you will see the following line:

<b:includable id='main'>

6. Got it? You need to add the following code just below that line:

<b:if cond='data:blog.url == data:blog.homepageUrl'>

7. Now you have added an extra code to your template and you need to close it properly. Look some lines below and you will see </b:includable> which is the closing code for <b:includable id=’main’>. Add </b:if> before that line to close the code you have just added in step 6. Now your code must look like this.

</b:if>
</b:includable>

That’s it. Now you can save your template. Before saving, you may look at the following screenshot. Your template code looks similar? If yes, you can now save your template. From now on the contents on your Link List will appear only on your blog home page.

By default, widget or gadget contents on Blogger blogs are displayed in every page of the blog including home page and archives. There is no harm in keeping your sidebar content as it is. But, if you are making money online with your Blogger or Blogspot blog, the situation may be different. For example, you may want to display a text link or a banner ad only on the home page because you got paid for home page only. Why provide your advertisers some extra benefits with sitewide links or ads? Give them what they want and what they paid for! So, use this technique to show links or other Blogger widget/gadget content on homepage only and NOT sitewide!

WordPress 2.8 is now available! Named “Baker”, in honor of noted trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker, the new version of the popular blogging software comes with several bug fixes and improvements to themes, widgets, taxonomies, and overall speed. The most notable chance in WordPress 2.8 is speed.

Though it looks much like the previous stable version (WordPress 2.7),  WordPress 2.8 fixes over 790 bugs. The ability to browse themes from within the dashboard will definitely catch your attention. Now you can browse the entire theme directory and install a theme with one click from the comfort of your WordPress dashboard. In my view, this is a nice feature will save your time. Also, there is all new CodePress editor to help you in editing your themes or plugins from your dashboard. It comes with built-in syntax highlighting and function lookup. So, no more accidental errors while editing themes or plugins!

After some change in style and scripting now admin pages loads faster. The widgets interface also got a complete facelift in WordPress 2.8. Now, you can do many things with your widgets! For example, you can edit widgets on the fly, have multiple copies of the same widget, drag and drop widgets between sidebars, and save inactive widgets. Other new features of WordPress 2.8 includes new widgets API, ability to arrange dashboard widgets in up to four columns, timezones support and automatic daylight savings time adjustment, ability to configure the number of items to show on management pages with an option in Screen Options, etc.

More than 180 new features, changes, upgrades and improvements makes WordPress even better. After a quick test on my local server, I found that WordPress 2.8 is really better than it’s previous versions. Soon, I will update all my blogs to WordPress 2.8. What about you? Are you using WordPress for blogging?

via: WordPress Blog

The comment feature of a blog is one of the most interesting part of blogging. Because it is the comment feature through which a blogger interacts with the blog readers or vice versa. That’s why many people thinks that a blog without comments enabled is not a blog. I do agree with that and that’s why I always allow my blog readers to comment on my blog posts.

New in blogging? Want to get more comments on your blog posts? Yes, blog posts without comments looks ugly. Don’t worry the number of comments will increase with time. Just continue producing quality, useful or entertaining content. Though the number of comments basically depend on the content, there are some tricks that top bloggers uses to get more comments on their blogs. No, those tricks are not so tough. In fact anyone can implement them on their blogs. Let me tell you how to do that!

How to get people to comment on your blog?

• Encourage blog readers to leave comments: It is very simple. Write a blog post and ask your readers to leave a comment. Even after enjoying your informative or entertaining blog post, readers may not leave a comment. Because they may have lots of things on their mind and leave the page to find something else. But if you simply ask them to leave a reply, chances are more that some of your blog readers will wait and leave a reply. Why? Because naturally human brains tends to respond to requests.
• Ask questions directly: Ask your readers what they think about your view on a topic or simply ask them to leave their own view on a topic. When you have some questions, it is obvious that you will get some answers too. By asking questions you are also inviting your readers directly to engage in the conversation.
• Write open ended posts: Even if you know everything, don’t share everything! Write a good post with good points, but leave some room for more points. Allow your readers to say something or add something. If you share every detail of a topic, there will be no room for your readers to add in the form of comments. So, whenever possible keep a post open ended and see the comments coming in from your loyal readers.
• Reply to user comments: A response from your side shows that as a blogger you really pay attention to what your readers say or ask. Even if the comment is short or not so interesting, leave a reply. As blog readers are also humans just like you and me, they tend to check back what happened to their conversations. The readers are more likely to comment again if they notice that the blogger promptly replies to their comments.
• Become controversial: Controversies are always good for overnight name and fame. That’s why we read about some many controversies in newspapers daily. In blogging also, it can play a great role. Pick some controversial topic and make a statement on your blog. If you are really good at topic selection, soon the number of comments will increase on your blog. But mind it, there is always a flip side to every issue. Before getting into controversy prepare yourself to stand up for your opinion. If you fail there, the ultimate loss will be yours!
• Comment on other blogs: Find other blogs in your niche and leave good comments on interesting or useful blog posts. This will work like advertising. Not only the bloggers but also their readers will come to know that your blog exists. To return the favor some bloggers will come to your blog. Who knows that could be the start of an interesting relationship!
• You are not always right; admit it when you’re not: You may not know everything or you may not be always right. When you admit it in an interesting way, your blog readers will get a chance to interact and help you. In blogging, comments are the best way to interact. So, more comments on your blog! Many people pretend to know everything and continues to reflect that on their blogs. Just look at some of those so-called expert blogs! This is very harmful for the reputation of a blog and the blogger.

So, those were some basic points on how to get more comments on your blog. I can’t guarantee that you will get tons of comments, but you will definitely get some good comments by implementing some of those techniques. Also there are many more ways to increase blog comments. Take inspirations from others and formulate your own techniques. I am sure that soon comments will start to come!

Want to say something or want to add someting? Feel free to leave a reply!

The biggest problem that a blogger may face in blogging is inability to continue posting regularly. Initially everyone writes regularly. But with time most bloggers starts to post irregularly. Why? There may be different excuses for different bloggers. But one of the most common excuses in lack of ideas for new blog posts. Yes, like writer’s block, bloggers may also experience temporary loss of ability to write articles. But you can’t just let your blog die  because of this temporary condition. You need to write. At least for the sake of your eagerly waiting blog readers.

So, want to write some new blog posts? Looking for some blog post ideas? Where to look for blog post ideas? Don’t worry, I can help you! Well, actually I am not going to tell you what to write or what not to write. But I can definitely show you some ways to get the best ideas for your new blog posts. Use the following techniques or tips whenever you feel out of ideas.

Sources of Blog Post Ideas:

1. Explore the Blogosphere: Visit some blogs and read what is being posted there. Try to find out blogs that were once your favorites. Don’t forget to visit the most popular blogs in your niche. By doing this, you will be able to get ideas about the topics that you should cover on your blog. Your brain needs just a simple impulse to get an idea! Well, always avoid to copy others. Just take the idea and write down your own views.
2. Visit the Social Media sites: Social media web sites are a great source for new blog post ideas since they usually displays the latest, hottest and interesting topics! Spend some time by looking at the stories coming up and becoming popular in websites like digg.com and delicio.us. I am sure that at least one or two ideas will struck you down eventually.
3. Check your RSS Reader: Make it a habit to subscribe to all your favorite blogs and news sources via RSS feed. When you are out of ideas, check those stories appearing in your RSS reader. Read the interesting ones and write down the key points that sounds interesting or appealing. Soon you will have something to write!
4. Check your Email: This is one of the easiest ways to find a topic to write about. Sometimes blog visitors may contact you via email. Read some of those emails and I am sure that you will find something valuable. Because most of those emails asks for help or suggestions. Even look at those junk mails and check what people are trying to sell! You may get some good ideas about viral marketing, email marketing or even copy writing from those junk mail. Create a neat blog post with those ideas.
5. Comment on other Blogs: Leave some good comments on blog posts, that you have read on other people’s blogs. Commenting and taking part in some active discussions will help you to get some good ideas. You can use trackback comments if the site allows it.
6. Check the Comments on your blog: Check the comments on your previous blog posts. Sometimes your readers requests or indicates about something that they wants to read on your blog. So, grab the ideas from past comments and start a new article!
7. Get the latest News: Even if your blog is not in any way related to news, current events or politics, there is nothing wrong with checking out what is happening to the world lately. Sometimes, these things tend to have a small relation to what you are blogging about. So, from news also, you can get ideas for writing a blog post.

There are many other sources from where a blogger can get ideas for future blog posts. For example, popular forums, friends, ebooks etc. Feel free to add your own view about those sources of inspiration.

Attention all WordPress users! WordPress 2.7.1 is now available. On Tuesday, two months after the release of WordPress 2.7, the developers have announced the arrival of 2.7.1 with fixes to 68 tickets. Some of those issues fixed in this new version were of high priority and were related to administration, security, XML-RPC, feeds and revisions. Other fixed tickets were minor bugs or enhancements.

If you are using WordPress 2.7, you can automatically upgrade to 2.7.1 from the upgrade section on your WordPress dashboard. Alternatively, you can download the complete package of WordPress 2.7.1 from the official site - WordPress.org. Upgrade today and enjoy blogging!

Via: WordPress Blog

This week Movable Type launched a new application that would allow Movable Type Pro users to install a micro-blog on their site. Called as Motion, the application will offer many basic features of popular micro-blogging and social networking sites like Twitter and FriendFeed. With Motion, you will be able to create both public and private microblogs. It features a blog editor with which you can easily publish text, images, links, audio and embedded video. Then it comes with OpenID sign in support and integration with popular services like Flickr, YouTube and Digg. So, Motion is more a social application than a simple microblogging platform and I am sure that this is a good news for Movable Type users. What you say?

Some important features of Motion:

• Ability to post text, links, images, audio or embedded video with just a click.
• Public microblog for sharing your ideas, sentiments and other interesting stuffs with the world.
• Private microblog for aggregating and tracking interesting conversation from the web.
• Public social network to connect to your community across the web instead of using multiple social networks.
• Ability to create a private microblog community among a group of friends or employees.
• Integration with a number of popular services like Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, Delicious, and Digg.
• Members can show their actions from across the web and follow other members.
• Members can easily sign in with their existing account from Google, Yahoo, Facebook, AOL, or any OpenID provider.

Right now Motion is in beta stage. For testing, sign up for their free demo or download the core file and host it on your own server. The official site mentioned that it will be freely available in early 2009 for all licensed users of Movable Type Pro.

Finally, WordPress 2.7 is here. I’m sure that almost all bloggers using the popular blogging platform are aware of the new release. This new version of WordPress comes with a brand new interface and some other new features like automatic update. I have just upgraded my WordPress installation to 2.7 and I’m kinda loving it! The new interface is cool and navigation is fast. What you say?

Well, you might have noticed that there was no updates for almost one week on this blog. Why? Actually, I was busy in some other works and just two days ago I lost one of my good friends. So, I went to take part in the funeral. Now I am back and hope that this blog will produce some good contents in coming days! In the meantime, if you want to know more about WordPress 2.7, watch the video.