As Twitter is becoming more popular and your blog’s target audience is increasingly found there, it is a good time for you to join and incorporate Twitter into your blog. I have already looked at how to brand your blog on Twitter and how to increase the number of your Twitter followers. This article will show you the top 5 Twitter plugins to incorporate into your WordPress blog.
Add Twitter username field into your blog comments section
- WP Twitip ID plugin adds an extra field to the comment form of your blog so your reader can enter his/her Twitter username. The plugin then displays the Twitter ID in the comment and links it to the Twitter profile of the commenter. See this plugin in action in HowToMakeMyBlog comments section below.
Show reader’s Twitter avatars in comments section
- Twittar plugin lets you show Twitter avatars of your blog commentators by matching the email address in the comment to the user’s Twitter email. If the user doesn’t have a Twitter account, it loads user’s Gravatar image. By installing this plugin you will have a much better looking comments section, with commentators all having an image by their comment. Something similar can be seen in HowToMakeMyBlog comments.
Get tweets about your blog posted as comments
- Tweetbacks plugin imports tweets about your blog posts into your blog comments. You can display them in between the other comments on your blog, or display them separately. So when somebody writes a tweet with your blog URL or any of your article URL’s in it, it will automatically get posted in your blog comments as well.
Let your users tweet your URL’s for more exposure
- TweetThis lets your visitors send tweets about your blog posts. When the reader clicks on the TwitThis button, the plugin takes the URL of your blog article and creates a shorter URL using TinyURL. Then your reader can tweet this shortened URL and a description of your blog article to all their followers on Twitter.
Integrate your tweets into your blog posts and sidebar
- Twitter Tools plugin integrates your Twitter account with your WordPress blog. You can for example create weekly digest of your tweets and get them automatically published on your blog as a new blog post. You can also show your latest tweets in your blog sidebar as a widget.
Hopefully these 5 Twitter plugins will help you on the way to incorporating your Twitter into your blog. Doing this will hopefully make your blog more interactive and more attractive to other Twitter users and should result in more comments from Twitter users, more tweets about your blog and increased number of followers and readers.
Twitter Marketing E-Book
For much more information on Twitter, check out my “Twitter Marketing E-book: How to go viral on Twitter“. The e-book includes all the tips on how I use Twitter to build my authority, drive traffic to my blog and get customers. Enjoy twittering!
Image by Foodista.
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I’ve only started using Twitter a few days ago and I’m already reaping the benefits. This will help a lot!
Woops, really overthought the @ thing
I would also mention the TweepRoll Deluxe and TweetRoll – Followers Edition that I am developing right now, they both fill the space that Mashable was talking about completing your BlogRoll with people from twitter.
They are available for download on my blog.
@JeremyOLED – I am glad it is useful to you!
@George Maicovschi – I really like how you incorporated Twitter design into your blog. Very nice work!
Great list Marko. Thanks for putting that together. Stumbled
Some great plugins especially Dans new Tweetbacks plugin.
@Marko – Thanks, I’m still working a little but I’m planning on releasing a very versatile theme that will import your Twitter theme to the blog. Stay tuned
Yeah, Wesley’s plugin is also a nice one.
Great post and great series Marko. Recently discovered your blog; aptly via twitter, which I’ve only actively been using for a few days.
Will definitely be a regular from now on. Keep up the good work.
great post for wordpress.
however any widgets for those still stuck in blogger(me)?
Thanks for all the comments!
@Wesley – Nice widgets!
@Vivek – I run my blogs in WordPress so unfortunately I do not know any similar plugins for Blogger.
@Giancarlo Colfer – Just saw your tweet, thanks a lot! It feels good to be there with those two bloggers…
A question, can I enable these plugins through my Wordpress.com blog or do I have to upgrade to the full Wordpress.org software?
Also, I’ve seen all the upgrade info but not taken the plunge yet – is it worth doing, as it seems slightly scary for a person of modest technical ability?
@Andy – I would recommend upgrading to the self-hosting WordPress. Try it out, it is easier than many people think. Not much technical skill needed at all and you have lots of guides and resources at the WordPress site.
@Wesley – Awesome, awesome plugin. v1.1 should be sweeter with the shortcode support! I bet if Marko knew about your plugin earlier you would’ve got it included in today’s post!
@George Maicovschi – Brilliant idea on the site design. You are more then likely the first to have such a design! It sparked some ideas on how I can implement more of twitter unto my site.
@Marko as always great read, and very very helpful. I recently twitted and gave praise to you, Darren Rowse ( @problogger ), Andy Beal ( Marketing Pilgrim ) for increasing my Ad revenue an astonishing 900% with all of your tips you offer free!
Thanks Marko, I’ll take the plunge then
Great post! I’m having difficulty with the set-up for WP Twittip ID but I’ll figure it out..eventually. Thanks for the info, Marko.
These all sound really cool to me except tweeback. I’m just not sure I want random tweets about my company showing up in the comments. I’d rather have people just comment.
I’ve never been a big fan of putting my Twitter status right on my blog but I have no problem with giving them a link to my profile
Some useful tools up there. I’ve been using twitter pretty frequently recently, and it certainly pays off. It’s also a great way to network with the probloggers. I’ll have to start implementing these tools.
Great post – found you via the Thesis forums and I’ve been looking to integrate Twitter and this post will be a big help. Thanks!
Marko
No worries bro, I enjoy sharing the goods with others. I like your theme by the way.
I use thesis as well. Stumbled, subscribed and shared. All the best in 09, Happy New Year!
-Mig
I was able to get the Tweetbacks installed and running, having issues with the WP Twitip ID one though.
@Geoserv – I would recommend contacting Andy Bailey on Twitter at @commentluv. It is his plugin and hopefully will be able to help out.
@Gerald Weber – Congratulations! Very nice work!
Thanks. I just replied to your message on SU.
Thanks for the list. I like especially that tool which allows to put down the Twitter ID in blogs.
Just found a twitter app that works with Blogger! hp mininote
It puts your Twitts in a sidebar but is customizable!
http://twitter.com/badges/blogger
Ooooops. It’s a Blogger app!
Have you activated Twittar on this blog already? I see only Gravatars on this post itself.
@Vincent Chow – At the moment it is Gravatars only. Thesis theme supports Gravatars originally and I’ve heard that there will be Twitter support added to the upcomin version very soon, so I am waiting for that.
nice set of plugins there. will loook forward to using them
Excellent site http://www.howtomakemyblog.com and I am really pleased to see you have what I am actually looking for here: this .. as it’s taken me literally 3 hours and 48 minutes of searching the web to find you (just kidding!) so I shall be pleased to become a regular visitor
great info here. thanx for the post.
Great information! I must do some of these tweakings to my wordpress blog. Of course it won’t do all that much for my blogger blogs, I suppose.
Great post. Glad to have discovered the twitter plugin!
Wow, right when you thought Tweet couldnt get any better!
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