How to Add Popular Twitter Plug-ins for WordPress Blogs

WordPress is one of the main choices for a blogging platform on the Internet today. Twitter has quickly become the hottest micro-blogging application. So can you imagine what occurs when the two meet and marry? A partnership that creates a most wonderful thing – that’s what!
Well, maybe not wonderful but then again it all depends on how you look at it. With the proper plug-ins you can create an awesome social networking tool since both Twitter and WordPress are both strong contenders in the social media arena. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular Twitter plug-ins that you can use on your WordPress blog to create a social power house match made in heaven.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer
• Internet Connection
• WordPress Blog Account
• Twitter Account
• Various Twitter Plug-Ins

1. Twit This
   
   TwitThis is a simple way for people to send Twitter messages about your blog post. When visitors to your website click on the TwitThis button or link, it takes the URL of the webpage and creates a shorter URL using the TinyURL tool. Then visitors can send the shortened URL and a description of the web page to all of their friends on Twitter. Talk about word-of-mouth! The TwitThis button is a cute little button that you can add to the end of your blog posts making it readily available to your readers once they’ve finished browsing your post.

2. TweetMyBlog
   
   TweetMyBlog is a plug-in that will automatically announce your blog posts to your Twitter followers and include a link directly to the post. This plug-in will also include a sidebar widget that will pull in your latest tweets and link them back to your Twitter profile page. Finally the creators of this plug-in have an affiliate program that is available to every “TweetMyBlog” user.

3. Twitterfeed
   
   TwitterFeed is a plug-in that allows you to simply promote your blog to your twitter followers. Much like TweetMyBlog, but not as extensive. You can customize the message that will announce your blog post to all your twitter pals. Again, a direct URL is provided in the tweet.

4. Twitter Tools
   
   TwitterTools is a plug-in that creates an integration between your WordPress blog and your Twitter account. With TwitterTools you can pull your tweets into your blog and create new tweets on blog posts and also from within WordPress

5. TwitterBadge
   
   TwitterBadge is not so much a plug-in as it is a way for you to let others know that you are a user, maybe even addict – it’s ok we won’t tell, of Twitter. There are many badges from the cute little Twitter bird to the simple badge that basically says, “Hey, look at me. I Twitter too!” When people see your badge and click it, they’ll be taken to your twitter profile.

Tips & Warnings

• The bottom line - Twitter is the place to be online, but you may not always be able to be there as much as you would like. By using the above plug-ins you can automate your own WordPress blog and Twitter to create a beautiful traffic generator an a great way to connect with your Tweeps.

Resources

• Moomettesgram's Musings
• Tweet My Blog
• Twitter
• Mom's Masterminds
• Momstalk Network
• Sparkplug University
• WordPress

[smjdesign]

on 1/15/2009 Pulling in my feed from Twitter (@smjdesign) via TwitterTools has worked well my personal website. I doubt that I will be adding it to my professional websites anytime soon. The topics don't match. Make sure though if you bring them into your blog and subsequent RSS feed that your entire homepage isn't full of tweets. I call my tweets that I import into my blog, "asides"--similiar to Matt Mullenweg's (of WordPress fame) idea about asides--items that are too short to be a post.