WordPress Plugins: Use Carefully

Given the flexibility offered by WordPress plugins, it’s easy to see web users favour WordPress as the CMS system to go for website building. Yet useful as plugins are, it is essential that we not overload our website with them. While a few plugins can work wonders for the look and functionality of our websites, there can be a problem when we install too many plugins.

When you own too many plugins, they can (1) slow down your website or (2) end up working against each other, producing errors on your website. This would mean the disrupting the smooth running of your  WordPress theme or even your entire WordPress system. This being the case, how would you know which are the best plugins to use on your WordPress-powered website?

Plugins offered by WordPress are designed for specific functions to improve the look and feel of your website. But there is no one plugin that is a best fit for every type of website. What is deemed the best plugin for one website may not work for another. As such, it is up to you to weigh and decide which plugins work best for your website.

As the number of plugins on your website grows, you sometimes find the need to deactivate some in order not to overload your system. Oftentimes, improper activation or deactivation of plugins can lead to clashes within your WordPress system. To ensure that your plugins are operating optimally in your WordPress system, you may wish to follow the tips below.

Check the WordPress Options Table

When dealing with WordPress plugins, always keep tabs on the WordPress Options Table. This table stores all types of information and links related to your plugins, including data every time you activate or deactivate a plugin in your website. Any unwanted storage of content in the table may cause your website to crash.

Activate Plugins Only after Reading Current Reviews

WordPress offers you more than 4,000 plugins for your weblog. But in order to select the best plugins, always browse the Reviews section to analyze their use in making your blog user-friendly and fast. After all, there is no point in installing a plugin that is known to be buggy.

Never Edit an Activated Plugin

WordPress offers you the ability to edit all your plugins. However, prior to editing your activated plugins, make sure that you deactivate them to avoid crashes.

Update Your Plugins to their Latest Versions

Securing your WordPress website should always be your top priority so always remember to update it and relative plugins to their latest versions.

Plugin or Spam

Content stored in the WordPress Options Table is never in the readable format. But by using the wp-options manager plugin, you are able to read content which includes images and unnecessary links left by their plugin authors.

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As long as you exercise some level of caution in the plugins you choose to install on your WordPress website and follow the tips highlighted above, your website should be relatively smooth-running. Good luck.

Vital WordPress Plugins for Portfolio Themes

WordPress, conventionally perceived as a blogging platform, is actually one of the most flexible and easy-to-use content management systems. Even with limited or zero knowledge of HTML, you can still do wonders with your website by using this platform. This is especially useful for photographers, illustrators and others in the creative line who may not be well-versed with coding. After all, all you have to do is (1) pick a WordPress Portfolio theme and (2) decide on the best plugins for your website, and you will be able to create a website beyond mere text.

Yet faced with the vast amount of plugins available on WordPress, choosing the right plugins can be intimidating. To help you get started, we have listed a few plugins that we find more useful for the users creating portfolios using WordPress.

NextGEN Gallery

Simple yet professional, this plugin is popular with users for the way it displays images in a classic format with a simple-to-use back-end. It comes with a Flash slideshow option as well.

Flickr Gallery

Creating interesting portfolio galleries extracted with your Flickr photos cannot be easier. The plugin allows you to extract pictures and videos within seconds, saving you the trouble of uploading them one by one onto your web directory.

Thumbnail for Excerpts

It’s a well-known fact that web users are more attracted to images than chunks of text. Get more traffic by adding thumbnails to excerpts on your website with this plugin. Plus, it gives your portfolio a cleaner and crisper look, making it easier for navigation.

FlippingBook

Make your images browse like a book with FlippingBook, a plugin which also separates your images into individual albums. The interactive nature of these albums gives your visitors a little more than just a static page to interact with.

Image Drop Shadow

As the name suggests, this plugin automatically creates a drop-shadow effect for your images in your portfolio website. It gives them the appearance of being more three-dimensional.

Featured Content Gallery

You can embed a customizable rotating image gallery anywhere in your website by adding a Featured Content Gallery. You can also supplement your images with captions.

WordTube

With this new plugin, you can now embed your favorite videos, music, photos, and more directly on your website.

GD Star Rating

Let your visitors vote for how much they like your designs, photos or even comments with this plugin.

Cforms II

For a portfolio website, adding contact forms is crucial. This plugin helps you add multiple forms to your website based on your requirements.

PhotoQ

This plugin installs instantly to help you convert your WordPress blog into a photoblog.

Post Templates

The essential time saver, Post Templates allows you to create various templates based on the formats of previous posts. This way, you can cut down the amount of time spent creating new posts from scratch.

Images: wordpress.org