Hi everyone

Today I’m going to move from my usually Java/XEO related posts and blog about wordpress plugins. The point is to share the plugins I have installed in this blog. So lets get started!

Akismet (bundled with wordpress)

Akistmet protects you from spam, and it does a great job at it. It’s the first in the list because it really is so important. If not for Akismet I would literally have to go through dozens of comments and check their content (and I have a very small blog with a low number of visits), this saves me hours!
You’ll need to register with Akismet for an API Key to activate the plugin.

Syntax Highlighter Compress 

Since I’m running a technical blog, one of the things I need is a code highlighter. This plugin highlights the most common languages like C#, Java, XML, SQL, Javascript, Ruby Phyton, etc.. as well as less common ones ( e.g. Erlang ). It has its own settings page where you can choose a stylesheet such as Eclipse/Emacs, among other things.

Social Sharing Toolkit

You must have a social sharing plugin these days, right? This plugin allows to share to virtually every social network you can think of (you can configure which social networks are displayed in each post you make). I personally only use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Reddit. It’s easy to install, works well and it looks good.

Smart YoutTube Pro

I don’t usually post youtube videos, but when you need to do it, it becomes very handy. It has tons of options, but you basically just need to paste the youtube link and it will embed the video in the post, very nice!

Limit Login Attempts

This is one is here for security. Until I installed it, I had no idea about the amount of (automated) hacking going around these days. By default wordpress makes no attempt to limit login attempts which makes it a very nice friend to brute-force attacks. Even with a strong password, I feel much more secure by having it installed.

NK Google Analytics

Well, if you want to track your visits and all, you’ll want a Google Analytics account, as such, you’ll need a plugin. Installing Google Analytics on your page is basically coping a few lines of javascript to the main template, but if you don’t want to get your hands dirty, use this plugin. You’ll need to register an API Key with Google first!

WordPress SEO

Well, I’m far from being an SEO Expert, but this plugin really gives a certain amount of information about each of your posts regarding search engine optimization which I find useful. It has TONS of settings, but in the end, it’s really useful by showing little green/yellow/red balls next to the items you choose like keywords, description, etc…

Well, I hope you find this list useful.

Happy coding blogging!