New features?

  • swathipradeep · Member ·

    WordPress Team,
    Are there any possibility for introduction of new widgets mentioned below?
    1>Facebook Fan Page embed widget
    2>Follower widget like blogger
    3>Social Networking share widget
    4>Related post thumbnail widget in every post. Similar to linkwith.com

    The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

  • swathipradeep · Member ·

    4>similar to http://www.linkwithin.com

  • phoxis · Member ·

    i would never like such features to be included in wordpress.com

  • sl1k · Member ·

    I agree 100% with phoxis,

    -sk

  • rachelgcfl · Member ·

    i want them.

  • jeannefaulconer · Member ·

    New here. What are the pros and cons?

  • timethief · Member ·

    @jeannefaulconer

    Widgets generally accomplish one or more of the following things:
    1. improve the functionality of a site by providing reader accessibility to content that is not located on the front page;

    2. act as leaders for e-commerce or other transactions;

    3. promote and lead traffic to the site serving the widget;

    4. redirect readers to high quality sources of relevant information found in authoritative blogs in the same niche.

    Cons:
    1. Follower widgets slow page loading time as each little avatar must be loaded from the site providing it before the whole page is displayed. At least half of all internet users are currently using dial up connections. What that means to us is that half of our visitors are downloading the pages at about 3-4 kilobytes per second. And it’s estimated that if a page has not loaded with within 8-10 seconds we can stand to lose one third of our visitors. Also note that Page loading time is now a Google Page Ranking factor.

    2. Follower widgets and all other sidebar clutter AKA “tat” distract readers’ attention by drawing the eyes and mind away from the content in our posts to the sidebar.

    3. Follower widgets do not provide access to additional resources to the reader thereby enhancing their reading experience. They compete for attention with navigational links to deeper content in our blogs found in our in our sidebars.

    3. Follower widgets spoil the design and give the blog an amateurish appearance. I have yet to see a follower widget filled with teeny tiny little avatars that enhanced any blog design. I also note that no blogging pros use them at all.

    4. Follower widgets serve no useful purpose at all other than the narcissistic one that comes from displaying a larger army of “followers” than the next blogger has.

    5. Follower widgets leak link juice.

    Pros:

    I can’t think of any and that’s the truth.

  • timethief · Member ·

    Sorry about the numbering error (ie. two number 3’s) above in the Cons. If anyone desiring these widgets would like to post Pros then bring it on!

  • thesacredpath · Member ·

    As someone with graphic and web design experience, I have a tendency to internally critique every site I go to. Occupational hazard. I see so many sites that have more “tat” in the sidebars than they do content in the posts area. I’ve seen blogs displaying 10 posts on the main page, and the sidebar goes on for three or four clicks in the scrollbar before you get to the footer, all the while staring at a blank content column.

    As Timethief suggests – and I agree – all this “tat” in the sidebars simply draws people away from your blog and in a vast majority of cases, makes the blog look cluttered and messy.

  • thesacredpath · Member ·

    As another note, I’ve even taken my links out of my sidebar and put them into a separate page to help keep my sidebar cleaner and shorter.

  • thesacredpath · Member ·

    I guess what I’m saying here is, don’t just put a boat load of stuff into your sidebar because you can. Everything you put in the sidebar should be placed with care and thought.

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