10 Geeky and Useful Tools for Bloggers

If you are a geek and a blogger, then you probably already have a tool kit of sorts for your blogging platform. Tools can automate some of the more tedious tasks of blogging and help take your blog to the next level. Here are 10 geeky, blogging tools that work with all platforms and types of blogs:

1. MicroPoll for Easy Online Polls:

Online polls are fun and popular. Make a poll for the side bar of your blog in a few easy, free steps with MicroPoll. Just sign up for an account, input your poll’s data into their WYSIWYG wizard and MicroPoll returns all the code you need to copy and paste into your blog.
 

2. W3C Link Checker:

Have you ever just been randomly perusing the content on your large blog to find that one of your most important links is broken? W3C Link Checker is a site wide, web-based checker for dead links that you can schedule to run at regular intervals.

3. PunchTab:

This one is really cool and can help you build loyal visitors to your blog. PunchTab basically allows you to create a rewards program to your blog. You think up and provide the rewards for returning visitors, higher article views, referring visitors or whatever else and PunchTab generates the interface for your rewards program in widget form to place in the side bar of your blog.

4. Snap:

Snap adds link previews to specified links on your blog. This is advanced blog functionality that is proven to enhance user experience and increase page views.

5. Fast Blog Finder:

Still trying to build traffic to your blog? The experts say commenting on other relevant blogs and leaving a link back to your blog is a great way to promote your site. Fast Blog Finder allows you to search out the most relevant blogs that allow for links in comments, in relation to your blog, and has a CMS for managing all the comments you leave as part of promoting your site on a regular basis.

6. SpringWidgets:

Many cool, free widgets for your blog. They have everything from count down timers to games.

7. Plugoo:

Allows you to chat with and message your blog visitors using whatever your main messenger application is (GoogleTalk, MSN, Yahoo, etc).

8. SiteTimer:

This web-based application allows you to see how long it takes for your blog to load. If you want your visitors to not be annoyed and possibly hit the back button, your site should load in 4 seconds or less.

9. Pando:

If you use SiteTimer and find that your site is taking too long to load, then check out Pando. It’s a free, easy to use tool that will streamline the load times of large media files (videos, podcasts, flash animations, etc.).

10. CloudFlare:

Are you a security geek? Then you’ll love CloudFlare. Through some advanced mechanisms, CloudFlare can protect your blog from spammers and malicious web bots. If you get several comments a day on your blog that are obviously left by spammers or bots, then definitely check this tool out – it’s free and web-based.
 
Guest article by Jessica Drew. Jessica Drew is a freelance writer and frugal shopping enthusiast who writes about a variety of financial topics such as credit cards, student loans and cheap flights.