There are a lot of widgets out there. So many, in fact, that sorting through them can be absolutely daunting. Joining the fray of sites that attempt to solve this problem is Widgipedia, a site that catalogs and hosts widgets, both Web-based and downloads. We’ve covered competitor Widgetbox several times, and the two sites are quite similar. Where Widgipedia differs is in mixing up widgets that run on different platforms: those that run right in your browser and ones you download for various engines such as Mac OS X’s Dashboard and Yahoo Widgets. The result is a diverse listing that’s fun to explore and play around with.

To sort through all the entries, Widgipedia employs tags instead of categories. This ends up working out pretty well for searching, as long as widgets have been tagged correctly. I still prefer Widgetbox’s organization structure with its tags and nine comprehensive categories, which is a little more user friendly. As the site grows, there definitely needs to be some categorization.

For budding widget designers, there’s a dedicated section of widget-creation resources complete with step-by-step how-tos and links to helpful walk-throughs. All the information is relegated to the forums, but there’s plenty in there to get a newbie going.

Widgipedia is a great place to browse for new widgets. The site is fairly young, but it already has a pretty diverse collection of neat widgets. If you’re a widget developer looking to keep track of what’s happening to your widgets, you’re likely better off using Widgetbox for its metrics service. If you’re just looking to spice up your social-networking profile or desktop widget collection, Widgipedia is definitely worth bookmarking. 

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Plugins extend the functionality of WordPress, even though WordPress works just fine without them. Some WordPress users don’t require any Plugins or only a few, such as Askimet for dealing with comment spam. Some users enjoy the options Plugins provide (and some overuse plugins by adding everything that they find. There is an enormous choice of plugins, but since every user has their own needs these are not incorporated into the core of WordPress.

WordPress Plugins are designed and are free to the public. Those listed in the WordPress sources have usually been thoroughly tested and considered “safe”. But remember, Plugins are the responsibility of the author and the user, and they are typically works-in-progress as WordPress grows and expands.

Read more about International Marketing on Get International Clients

From the WordPress site:

Plugins are tools to extend the functionality of WordPress. This article contains a list of plugins by category, and links to other plugin repositories. The core of WordPress is designed to be lean, to maximize flexibility and minimize code bloat. Plugins offer custom functions and features so that each user can tailor their site to their specific needs.

For instructions and information on downloading, installing, upgrading, troubleshooting, and managing your WordPress Plugins, see Managing Plugins. If you want to develop your own plugin, there is a comprehensive list of resources in Plugin Resources.