Widget Checklist for New Bloggers

When designing a blog, which widgets should you keep? Which ones are to be deleted? Confused? No problem, I am here to solve all your problems. Here are the essential and useful widgets for any blog:

Essential:

1. About Me/Us: This is the first widget you have to add to a blog. This can be a plain 'layout' element or a page/post. However, a post/page is always more useful as you have a lot of space to tell your readers all about you and the blog. Don’t forget to put a link in the navigation bar as we did for BWS or put it link in the sidebar.
2. Categories: Category list is useful for visitors who want information on a specific topic. So, don’t forget to add one to display the labels you tagged on each post.
3. Contact: Users should be able to easily contact you. You might end up getting valuable suggestions. If you don’t want to use 'malito' links, you can use contact form services.
4. Links to Social Media Sites: Provide links to Digg, Delicious and Stumble Upon. Readers should be able to share your posts.
5. Popular Posts: Why not show the best of your blog using a Popular Posts widget?Useful:
6. Recent Posts: It can be left out if you want to use.....
7. Read More: It eliminates need for recent posts widget as users can see summary with recent posts on homepage.
8. Translate: Useful for blogs with readers all around the blog.
9. Related Posts: Showing related links at end of your post is always useful. It keeps the reader on your blog longer.
10. Tag Cloud: While a Category list can do the job, eye candy lovers can use simple or animated tag clouds. Remember, it can increase load times.
11. EntreCard: Considered a traffic mine by many bloggers, this small widget can bring you new readers.