Top Wordpress Plugins for the Bloggers

TechnoBuzz says :

If you are a blogger, then you probably know about the power of the Wordpress platform. Straight out of the box, Wordpress is one of the best solutions for blogging.

Here is a great list that I whipped together of some of the most useful and most popular Wordpress plugins, if you dont yet have wordpress, or dont know what it is head over to wordpress.org, its a blogging software, which is awesome!
Enjoy the list.

Akismet: Akismet checks your comments against the Akismet web serivce to see if they look like spam or not. You need a WordPress.com API key to use this service. You can review the spam it catches under “Manage” and it automatically deletes old spam after 15 days. I highly recommend this plugin.

Google Sitemap Generator came in second. Looks like a lot of bloggers are starting to care about SEO and this plugin is the best tool to tell Google how it should crawl your blog and where to find everything you want found.

Show Top Commentators - If you are looking for a way to increase your comments and the interaction among your readership, this plugin is an excellent choice. Show Top Commentators encourages discussion by rewarding readers for making a comment. The top commentators are displayed in the sidebar with the number of comments they have made and a link back to their website.

Feedburner Feed Replacement - Forwards all feed traffic to Feedburner while creating a randomized feed for Feedburner to pull from.

Adsense Deluxe - If you run adsense on your blog, then this is the number one plugin to implement. Adsense Deluxe allows you to automatically insert Google Adsense with ease.

Related Posts - This plugin will find other blog posts that are related to the current post based on keyword matching. You can then display the related posts at the bottom of each article. This is an excellent way to keep visitors at your site for longer periods of time. Customize this plugin to display as many or as few related posts as you desire.

Wp-Contact form. This plugin developed by Ryan Duff is used by many bloggers. It creates a contact form on your blog, through which your readers can contact you. However at the moment of this writing, Ryans website seemed to be down. Another good plugin to generate contact forms is here. Update: You can download Spam protected Wp-contact form from Doug Carr blog here.

WP-Cache - An extremely efficient WordPress page caching system to make your site much faster and responsive. It works by caching Worpress pages and storing them in a static file for serving future requests.

Ultimate Tag Warrior - This is the best tag system for WordPress. Ultimate Tag Warrior will help you pick up more traffic from Technorati and adds a number of SEO benefits to your blog.

SEO Title Tag - Title tags are one of the most important on-page factors for search engine optimization. This plugin allows you to optimize your title tag for optimum traffic.

Wordpress Database Backup - Talk about a lifesaver. This plugin comes installed with Wordpress, providing an easy way to backup your Wordpress database. You can download the backup file or have it emailed to the address of your choice.

Popularity Contest A very useful plugin that lets you automatically highlight your best posts to your readers. It keeps a count of your post, category and archive views, comments, trackbacks, etc. and uses them to determine which of your posts are most popular. It can significantly increase the “stickiness” of your blog and help you convert first time visitors into a regular readers.

These are the list of most popular plugins in the blogosphere! If you liked it, help spread the news - do not forget to Digg it

10 best Free Online Virus and Malware Scanners

TechnoBuzz says :

1. BitDefender - An online version of the BitDefender software. Will scan your drives, files, and boot sector. Works only with Internet Explorer.

2. Computer Associates Malware Scanner - Browse your drives for a file you suspect of being malware and upload it for their scanner to check it for you.

3. ESET - Online malware scanner. With just an acceptance of ESET’s TOS, you can scan your PC for known malware including viruses, worms, Trojans, phishing, and spyware.

4. NanoScan - NanoScan is an new and fast online virus scanner developed by Panda Software. It takes only 1-2 minutes to scan your whole PC. NanoScan is a free online solution that detects different kind of malware that could be running on the computer.

5. McAfee FreeScan - McAfee FreeScan is a great virus scanner using the award-winning McAfee Scan Engine. Uses ActiveX component

6. Avast - Online version of popular antivirus software Avast will scan individual files of up to 512kb in size.

7. TrendMicro - Scans for Viruses and Malware. It also scans for vulnerabilities and and fixes them to prevent re-infestation.

8. Jotti- Uses several scanners at once to scan files that you upload to detect malware that may be hidden.

9. Panda Security - Searches your system for worms, viruses, trojans and more after a small Active X download.

10. F-Secure - Simple virus scan from web. Uses ActiveX components

Top Online File Converters

Aibek Says:

zamzar is free and all-inclusive(video, music, images, documents) file conversion service. In 4 quick steps you can convert almost anything to anything else; (1)simply enter a file you want to convert by pointing to its location on your local drive or address on the web(ex; youtube video), (2)select output format(eg. PDF, doc, 3GP mobile, iPod, PSP…), (3) enter email address where it should send converted file and (4)convert it.

media-convert also lets you convert all types of files, i.e. video, music, images, docs and archives. It’s also free and supports almost all conceivable file formats. Procedure is pretty much the same; select file, specify output format and let it do the rest. Once it’s done with a file, it will provide you with a link from where it can be downloaded.

mux lets you convert youtube and googlevideo videos to following formats; mpeg-4, Quicktime, iPod(m4v), flash video, windows media, mpeg-1/2, windows avi, 3gb mobile and OGG Theora. It’s not as powerful as above mentioned zamzar or media-convert however it has some handy features that you won’t find with others(see below).

Special features

• for more demanding users there is a power mux which allows users set additional settings on output file(bitrate, fps, file length…etc).
• there is also a mux mobile which lets you convert web-videos to mobile format(3GP, AMR) and instantly forward them to any mobile for free.

How to enable thumbnail preview for Foxit Reader

TechSnack (Tech Blog) Says :
Foxit Reader is definitely best Adobe reader replacement. However, we are not able to enable the thumbnail preview in Windows Explorer if we set it as a default PDF viewer. This tip will help you to turn this feature on.

A lot of Foxit reader users request this feature, but unfortunately they haven’t implement it, even in the latest 2.3 version. I try to search through internet and i found a great article which can do this.

Steps :

1. Install both Foxit reader and Adobe reader.
2. Go to Start -> Run -> type regedit.
3. In the Registry Editor, go to Edit -> Find. Type “foxit” in the field. Press Find Next a few times until you reach something like “FOXITR~1>EXE“.
4. Browse to shell -> open -> command, copy the full path of your foxit reader.exe. For example, mine one is
   “C:\PROGRA~1\FOXITS~1\FOXITR~1\FOXITR~1.EXE” “%1″ <–A
5. Find your full address for Adobe reader. Mine one is
   “C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 8.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe” “%1″ <–B
   This value should be same with mine, unless you are using different version or install at different path.
6. Search through all registry, replace path B with path A. Remember, only replace value that exactly the same with path B, else your Foxit reader/Acrobat reader may not work!

How to Backup Data in Windows XP and Vista?

Joel Thomas(Tech blogger) Says :
More than a blog, ones computer has much data which is more valuable than blog so its necessary to backup the data in the computer as well. I have listed the procedure to create backup in Windows XP and Vista here.

Backing up Data in Windows XP:
A backup wizard is provided with the Windows package which is very helpful to create a backup copy of your important documents.

Note: If you have Windows XP Professional, Backup utility is installed by default but in Windows XP Home it is not. However, Backup utility is provided with the CD.
Go to CD-ROM Drive:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP and double click Ntbackup.msi to start the Backup utility.

Follow this procedure to backup data using Backup utility:

Step 1: Click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Backup.

Step 2: Click Next in the first page and choose ‘Back up Files and Settings’ in the second page.

Step 3: In the third page, you will be asked what to backup. If you have the habit of keeping all important files in your ‘My Documents’ folder and you want to backup only important files then choosing ‘My documents and settings’ would be more appropriate. Else if you want to manually choose the files and folders you want to backup, choose the option ‘Let me choose what to backup’.

Step 4: If you are manually choosing the folders, click all the folders you want to backup.

Step 5: On the next screen you will be asked to choose the backup type, Destination and Name. You won’t be using Tapes or Floppy Disks. You may select an external hard disk or another partition in the same hard disk. If the backup file size is small you may choose small portable pen drive such as USB hard drives.

Step 6: Windows XP does not support to write the backup file to a CD directly. So if you want to have the backup in a CD or DVD, create the backup file in the same hard disk and burn it in a CD or DVD.

If you have dedicated external hard disk for backup you can set a schedule to backup regularly. On the last page of backup utility before clicking Finish, Click Advanced -> When to Back up -> Later -> Set Schedule -> Schedule Job. Set the schedule and Click Ok.

Backing up Data in Windows Vista:
In Vista taking a backup is much easier than Windows XP. Vista allows taking backup in CD and DVD as well.

Follow this procedure to backup data using Backup utility:

Step 1: Go to Control Panel -> ‘Backup and Restore Centre’ and Choose Backup Files.

Step 2: Windows will search all possible places where you can take a backup copy and it will list it the next screen. If you want to take the backup in the network, you can browse and choose the destination for backup.

Step 3: Choose the drives you want to backup and choose the type of files you want to backup. System files, executable files won’t be backed up and backup can be done only from NTFS region.

Step 4: In the next screen choose how often you want to take backup and click ‘Save settings and start backup’.

How To Make Firefox Look Like Internet Explorer

Joel Thomas(Tech blogger) Says :

Are you a fan of Internet Explorer but you like the features of Firefox? Ok, then how about using Firefox which looks exactly like Internet Explorer?

John Haller helps you in changing Firefox to Internet Explorer in just 5 easy steps.

The Theme:
The first step is to change the theme of Firefox to look like Internet Explorer using the addon ‘Looks Familiar Theme’

The Icons:
Next to make all the icons that are in Firefox to look like Internet Explorer Icons, he provides a set of ‘Firefox Internet Explorer Icons Pack’

The Toolbar Layout:
Steps to customize the toolbar and its layout to look exactly the way it is in Internet Explorer with all the Bookmarks, History and Print button.

Window Title:
This little hack helps you to display the application as Internet Explorer instead of Firefox in the Window Title.

Miscellaneous Features:
By default there are some features which are available in IE but not in Firefox. Adding these miscellaneous features will make Firefox have all the exclusive features of IE.
Favorites Menu
Allow Copy/Paste
IE Tab
Adding Default Links

After this transformation it will really hard to find out whether you are using Firefox or Internet Explorer as it will change the entire look, features and even the title name. So enjoy all the features of Firefox still thinking that you are using Internet Explorer.

How to Change Default Download Location in Firefox 3?

Joel Thomas(Tech blogger) Says :

Firefox by default downloads all the files to the desktop. But a few like me love to keep their desktop clean and even few others are organized and love to download all their files to download folder or other folders in some personal drive.

So how to change the download location in Firefox 3?

Go to Tools -> Options.

Under Downloads section, click Browse to change the default download location.

But if you want to decide where to save the download each time, then choose the option ‘Always ask me where to save files’.

If you don’t want Firefox to remember what you have downloaded, go to Privacy tab in the options. Under the History section, uncheck Remember what I’ve downloaded.

If you want Firefox to clear the details of download each time you close the application, check Always clear my private data when I close Firefox under Private data. This will clear all the private details like browsing history, saver forms, search history etc. If you don’t want to delete your browsing history and others, click Settings under Private data and uncheck the features you don’t want to delete.

How to Set Yahoo Mail as the Default Mail Provider?

Joel Thomas(Tech blogger) Says :

If you are using Yahoo Mail as your primary Email provider then you might want to set Yahoo Mail as the default mail service so that when you click any email links, it opens Yahoo Mail and composes a new mail with that email address.

Yahoo has not provided this feature for a long time and yesterday when I was browsing, it gave a pop-up mentioning that I can setup Yahoo as the default mail.

So how to set Yahoo Mail as the default Email Provider?

Go the Inbox in Yahoo Mail and on the top right corner, click the Options.

Now, click the option, set Y! Mail as default webmail.

Note: The option is new and it is currently available only in Firefox and I believe Yahoo would make this option available in IE also soon.

Best of Tech Blogs: May 2008

Syahid A.(Tech Blogger) Says :

What I love about the Internet is that there will never be a shortage of excellent reading materials. Everyday, you can always learn something new. Here are some of the most interesting blog posts that I’ve read this month, grabbed from my circle of web friends. Check it out.

How to Shred Files In Your Hard Drive for Free? - KillerTechTips

How To Share Keyboard and Mouse On Multiple Computers - Raymond

How to make safari emulate (not really) as IE! - ReviewSaurus

Internet Explorer disabled or blocked at the office? Bypass restrictions - Online Tech Tips

Locate your stolen PC with Locate PC - TechnoBuzz

Hide your online status on yahoo from various services like buddy spy - Technix Update

How to retrieve lost bookmarks on Firefox - TechSnack

Create Beautiful Collages Out Of Your Photos - TechTracer

The easiest video downloader to use? - BlogAnything

Windows 7 More Screenshots - Sizlopedia

If You Don’t Backup Your Windows Password Now You’ll Hate Yourself Later - Information Addicts

All Run Commands In Vista

* Help Pane : helppane

* Color Management : colorcpl

* Computer Management Launcher : CompMgmtLauncher

* Control Panel : control

* Credential Backup and Restore Wizard : credwiz

* Defragment User Interface : dfrgui

* Driver Package Installer : dpinst

* DPI Scaling : dpiscaling

* DVD Player : dvdplay

* Display Adapter Troubleshooter : AdapterTroubleshooter

* Authorization Manager : azman.msc

* Bitlocker Wizard : bitlockerwizard

* Event Viewer : eventvwr

* Firewall Settings : FirewallSettings

* Firewall Control Panel : FirewallControlPanel

* Windows Firewall with Advanced Security : wf.msc

* Problem Reports and Solutions : wercon

* Windows Fax and Scan : wfs

* Windows Image Acquisition - wiaacmgr

* Windows Update Application Manager - wuapp

* Windows Standalong Update Manager - wusa

* Windows Shared Folder Management : fsmgmt.msc

* Snipping Tool : snippingtool

* Bitlocker Notifier : fvenotify

* Fax Cover Sheet Editor : fxscover

* iSCSI Initiator : iscsicpl

* Iexpress : iexpress

* Logoff from Vista : logoff

* Language Pack Installer : lpksetup

* Windows Mobility Center : mblctr

* Microsoft Sync Center : mobsync

* Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool : msdt

* Remote Assistance : msra

* User Accounts : Netplwiz

* ODBC Data Source Administrator : odbcad32

* Optional Features Manager : optionalfeatures

* People Near Me : p2phost

* Performance Monitor : perfmon

* Presentation Settings : presentationsettings

* Printer Migration : PrintBrmUi

* Encryption File System : rekeywiz

* Windows Backup Utility : sdclt

* Accesibility Settings : sethc

* Windows Share Creation Wizard : shrpubw

* Software Licensing/Windows Activation : slui

* Sound Volume : sndvol

* Sound Recorder : soundrecorder

* Sticky Note : StikyNot

* Digitizer Calibration Tool : tabcal

* Trusted Platform Module : TpmInit

* System Properties : SystemPropertiesAdvanced

*System Properties (Hardware pre-selected) : SystemPropertiesHardware

* System Properties (Computer Name pre-selected) : SystemPropertiesComputerName

* System Properties (Performance pre-selected) : SystemPropertiesPerformance

* System Properties (Protection pre-selected) : SystemPropertiesProtection

*System Properties (Data Execution Prevention pre-selected) :

*SystemPropertiesDataExecutionPrevention

* System Properties (Remote pre-selected) : SystemPropertiesRemote

Switch Windows Quickly in Vista

Nirmal(Tech blogger) Says :

Switcher is a free application which can give more control over your open windows in Vista. Switcher allows you to See all your windows on one screen, quickly search through them, even decorate them with your favorite colors and fonts. Switcher runs in taskbar and will start whenever Windows starts. Once Switcher is running, press Windows+~ to begin switching between windows.


In case you have lots of windows open, you can search for windows. Start typing the text of the window you’re trying to find. A search box will automatically appear, and the windows will move and hide themselves until only the ones matching your text appear.

Switcher also allows you to select and adjust fonts, colors, sizes, and positions. You can also change the shortcut for switching windows.

Gmail has added indian languages in it

Google has now added indian languages like اردو (Urdu) , मराठी (Marathi), हिन्दी (Hindi), বাংলা (Bangla), ગુજરાતી (Gujarati), ଓଡିଆ (Oriya), தமிழ் (Tamil), తెలుగు (Telugu), ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada) and മലയാളം (Malayalam) in gmail. So friends enjoy gmail in your language.