A blog’s theme provides character to your website.  It derives its identity from the articles or stories you write, together with the mixture of colors, pictures, and style you choose for your blog.  You can say it’s an extension of who you are as every facet of the blog is chosen by you.  Just like any human being or snowflake, no blog is exactly the same.  It is another DNA blueprint created by you. 

If you can’t make your own theme or don’t pay for a customized one, there could be another WP blog out there similar to yours.  Then again, the content will be entirely different.  Thus, I find it also works to your advantage if you tweak with the codes a bit.  You can take a downloaded theme and change the hues or the font.  If you are afraid of breaking the codes, you can copy the original first and paste it to a notepad and save it for security.  And as you tweak the codes on your blog, you can do trial and error until you get the effect you want.

Before choosing your theme, it is important to get an idea about what you feel will suit your blog.  What I did before choosing my theme was visit other high-ranked blogs with the same niche.  I compared the design and style they chose and decided which one I found more attractive – one that would make me want to go back to read new articles. 

There are different styles of WP themes in the web.  You may find newspaper styles where the articles are laid out neatly scattered over the home page in excerpts with a bigger portion serving as the headline.  Or you can opt for a simpler layout with just 2 or 3 columns, the largest column containing your articles on a straight descending order. 

Still, the important thing is to empathize with prospective readers.  Put yourself in their shoes and get an objective impression of what your blog sends out with the theme you have chosen.  Does it look cluttered and confusing that you would rather move on than read?  Can they easily move from one portion to another while surfing the site?  Are the colors too loud or does looking at it at first glance making me want to doze off?

Once you have chosen your theme, you now move on to the most critical factor in creating a blog – content.  You may have chosen a theme that impress readers at first glance, but if your content is irrelevant, confusing, or boring, you don’t get any repeat visits.   The intent of a WP theme is to give readers a good first impression of your blog, but don’t forget that it is more essential to keep them coming back.

I will narrow down the list to those plugins that are not very popular but have given blogs better value and functionality.  Come to think of it, every great WP plugin out there did start out this way.  So, I will give you a rundown of those that are still unnoticed but will someday become a regular mainstay in every WP blog like Akismet, WP-Cache, Wordpress Stats, WP-DatabaseBackup, WP-Notable, or Share This.  For WP newbies, if you don’t have any of the plugins I just mentioned, go get ‘em.  A WP blog just isn’t at its optimum without these.

Now, here are the top Wordpress plugins I found that will enhance the value of any blog and make your blogging experience one for the books.

1. Digital Fingerprint – This WP plugin allows the author to embed a personalized fingerprint to identify ownership in his post.  At present, the blogosphere is flooded with spam blogs (splogs), blogs created solely for the purpose of indexing new blogs in search engines or to increase the ranking of affiliate sites.  These splogs utilize automated programs to scour the web and copy articles from other blogs.  Your digital fingerprint is not visible on the post itself, but only on RSS feeds.  You will be able to track down any duplication of your post by entering the fingerprint in blog search engines and identify those that are not posted in your own blog.

2. Wordpress Mobile Edition – This will display an interface that can be viewed on mobile devices once a reader visits your blog through this medium.  With the popularity of smartphones and PDAs, it will be a useful plugin as it allows visitors to continue viewing your site even on the go.

3. Twitter Updater – Considering the current fame of Twitter on the web and on mobile devices, it has now become the most preferred tool used by bloggers to reach more audience through this social network.  This plugin automatically broadcasts posts to your Twitter account upon publication.  No need to manually tweet new posts to update your friends and followers.

4. Yet Another Related Posts Plugin (YARP) – There are several WP plugins that show related entries on your blog at the end of every post.  These give readers a chance to stay longer on your site and browse other similar posts.  This one is considered one of the better plugins of this type because it includes related posts for your feed.

5. Clean Archives – This is a great plugin, especially for older blogs who have accumulated a large amount of posts over the years. Instead of having an archive section on your sidebar which takes a lot of space over time, this plugin automatically updates your archives on a separate page arranged per month with post titles included.  This not only allows your readers a complete easy access to all your posts, it also makes it easier for the blogger to sift through older posts if necessary.

There are still numerous plugins out there that can extend your blog’s functionality, appearance, and interface.  Meanwhile, these are the basics if you want a powerhouse blog that isn’t cluttered by too many extensions or plugins.  And what I really love about Wordpress is that it has created a community of bloggers and developers who share each other’s talents without need of any form of compensation.  Donations are freely given and openly accepted without any prejudice whatsover.  If only this type of community exists in the non-virtual world, I doubt we would be having the global economic crisis we are facing now.

There are organizations that provide free web hosting, but most do offer this service for a fee.  Free web hosting services are less likely to be reliable even when some require compensation by having their ads run on your website.  Regardless of whether they want something in return or not for their free service, it wouldn’t be wise to bank on them on a long term basis.  It would be better to have your website hosted within bigger sites. 

Meanwhile, if you already have your own website on a free webhost and wish to migrate to a better paid host, it is important to choose the webhost that will give you the best value for your money.  Before evaluating the offers available, it is necessary to determine the type of website you have and what your vision is for that site in the future.  Once you have established that, here are some tips to help you decide.

1. Determine reliability and access speed.  Regardless of the type of website you have, it would defeat the purpose of having a website if the web host is often experiencing downtime or access is too slow.  A website with less than 99% availability is not worth a single cent.

2. Find the bandwidth limit the web host offers.  Bandwidth is the measure of data between the host server and site visitors.  Most web hosts offer different plans with varying bandwidth limits and data storage.  But remember that unless you pay for a dedicated server (no sharing of the server with other websites), there is no such thing as unlimited bandwidth as advertised by many web hosts.  Web hosts will either shut off your site when you exceed your limits or charge you with over usage fees at exorbitant prices. It would be best to choose a plan with high limits if you expect high traffic or you have large files on you site.

3. Make sure your web host provides a control panel.  The control panel will give you access to customizing your website.  It would be too much trouble to constantly request for web host customer support whenever you need to do something with your site.  Along with a control panel, good web hosts offer free installation of web applications which you can choose from the panel.

4. Estimate the disk space you will need.  Be wary of web hosts that advertise unlimited disk space.  Like bandwidth, you will have to share with other webmasters and it is unlikely that you will be allowed to exceed a certain amount.  More pictures and video in your site means higher disk space requirements.

5. Technical support is important.  Read feedback on a web host’s customer support service.  Choose one that can provide service even during holidays or odd hours.  You can even test them by making a query during unusual hours and find out how long before they respond.

There are actually other criteria you can evaluate, but these are the basic ones that you need. However, it is advisable to surf the net for objective feedback on any web host first before taking a dive.  Don’t be easily attracted to discounts or special offers.  Though web hosting has become cheaper because of competition, the adage “you get what you pay for” may apply if you scrimp too much on your web host.

Many, however, diligently use the internet as a personal digital journal to chronicle their insights, interesting stories, and even exhibit their talents. This type of website is called a weblog, now commonly referred to as a blog.  Along with the sheer number of people who have set up their blogs on the internet came the advent of the blogosphere, the entire world of blogs on the web.  What spurred this interest in blogging?  Blogging was mainly driven by blogging software packages that can be downloaded for free on the internet. 

Of the several open source blogging software available in the web, Wordpress is considered the most widely used because of its many features and the simplicity by which it can be set up.  Wordpress is available for download at Wordpress.org which likewise provides all the assistance needed to support users.  You can even set up your own blog on the website for free. 

However, having Wordpress host your blog translates to several limitations that would be otherwise non-existent with a paid hosting site.  For those who don’t intend to pursue any marketing or advertising on their blogs, having Wordpress as your hosting site will do.  It may even be advisable to initially test your blogging abilities on the site before venturing into the more complex applications of a blog on a paid hosting site.

As a blogging software, Wordpress is fairly easy to understand and utilize.  Anyone who has basic knowledge of computers and the internet can easily adapt to its control panel or intuitive graphical interface.  Basically, it comprises a home page where your posts or entries are displayed in reverse-chronological order.  It also provides the blogger an option to create categories in which to identify and sort his entries.  Readers are also given an option to enter comments to specific posts which can further encourage a discussion on the topic among the author and its readers.

Another enticing feature of Wordpress is easy customization.  Considering the varying tastes of individuals, each blog can be designed with a theme with complementary colors, graphics, headers, and font.  There are limitless Wordpress themes on the internet that can be downloaded for free and integrated into your blog.  Of course, you can also pay for more streamlined themes or hire individuals to create a theme specifically suited for your blog.  Moreover, Wordpress plugins are also available to augment your blogging experience.  Most plugins can be downloaded for free, each with its own specific purpose in enhancing your blog.

Once you have set up your blog, the possibilities are endless.  Some simply use their blog as a personal journal, while others go so far as to expand it into a money-making endeavor.  Should you decide to venture into this field, there is no doubt that you will find the blogosphere an entirely new world filled with art, information, and imagination.

Blogs like Techcrunch, PerezHilton, or Gawker have become bywords in the blogosphere.  They are currently valued for millions of dollars because of their following. The value is not only derived from their popularity and clout, but also from the advertising revenues that they generate.

Register Without Hesitation
Once I found the magic name that I believed will be the next sensation in the blogosphere, I immediately registered it with a domain name registrar. Let me give you a good tip though – before making the registration, prepare alternative names just in case the one you chose is already taken.  Many insist that all the good names have already been registered.  I don’t believe that at all.  A little creativity is all you need. 

Inexpensive Solutions
I recommend registering the name that you come up with as soon as possible.  Registration fees are as low as $5 a year.  Even if you are not prepared to set up your website yet, it would do you well to register the name ahead to make sure no one else registers it ahead of you.  Many do make money by registering good domain names and selling them off at exorbitant prices to webmasters who want to get catchy names.

Control Your Domain
After the registration, remember to renew the name every year.  When you get a paid hosting site, it usually includes a free domain name which they will register for you.  They will also give you the option to let them renew an existing domain name on your behalf.  This may seem convenient but I would advise against it because you may run into problems once you decide to transfer to another web host. 

Doing the registration yourself ensures that you are the owner, the administrative contact, and the technical contact of the domain name.  Allowing your web host to be the technical contact would give them the power to withhold  your transfer to another web host, or delay the approval at the very least.

Domain Reputation
Your domain name is the identity of your website.  Just like corporations, your market recognizes your work or talent with that name.  Whatever reputation you create is identified with the domain name.  Choose a name that will not be associated to anything negative.  Rather than something that could be distastedful, you may have more success in choosing a name that connotes controversy to arouse curiosity. 

One of my websites is Rich Single Momma. This name is catchy and rouses curiosity. The general public may wonder how a single mom can be rich  and single moms want to know how they can be rich too. So this domain name works for me because it drives traffic to my site based on the name.

Keep Them Coming Back
Once you have gotten people’s attention, make sure your content will keep them coming back and riveted to your site.  From this point on, the opportunities for your site will be endless.  My websites have given me a whole new purpose in my life.  With hardwork and determination, it can be just the same for you.