Blogger Gadget: Subscribe and Follow Update

I'm pleased to announce the Version 2.0 release of my Subscribe and Follow Gadget now with support for LinkedIn and YouTube! A couple readers requested support for these services in the past several weeks and I wasn't sure if I could add them or not. I took some time the past few days to organize and evaluate the artwork available and see what it would take to get done. As a result, I've redesigned the Gadget code to better accommodate updates and I hope to provide additional support more easily in the future.

Impact on Current Users and New Features
Those already using the Subscribe and Follow Gadget need not worry. Your gadget will continue to work just as it has. The code and icon images are intact and remain available. If you wish to add links for LinkedIn or YouTube you must upgrade to this new version. Also, Feed support has changed and no longer differentiates Feedburner feeds for ease of configuration. Instead it uses the default Blogger feed URL of the provided Blog URL. Unfortunately, there is no means to import gadget settings so you will need to reconfigure the Version 2.0 Gadget and remove the original from your blog.

Blogger Gadget: Subscribe and Follow

Update: A new release of this Gadget is available Here and includes LinkedIn and YouTube support

An important aspect of growing a blog readers is utilizing social media and feeds to their fullest. Blogger provides a handy gadget to get readers Subscribed to a blogs feed. Unfortunately, none of the built in tools include links to other social sites. We're left to build our own Twitter, Facebook and Digg links either through those sites tools or an html/javascript add on. I decided to make things simpler by integrating all four into one gadget.

Once configured the Subscribe and Follow gadget builds buttons so readers can keep up with your blog through Feeds, Twitter, Facebook and Digg. There are more than 20 button themes to choose from so odds are you'll find one that looks good on your blog. No programming required and no need to find your own artwork.

Blogger: Long Feeds with Labels Gadget

Blogger provides limited tools to utilize and promote older posts. The core design is as a journal log with the newest posts getting the most visibility. There are few gadgets available to bring forward older posts a blogger would like visitors to ready. The Feeds gadget is one tool that helps, but it requires knowledge of how feeds work and is limited to 5 links at a time. I've written an upgrade I'd like to share.

The Long Feeds with Labels Gadget is an evolution beyond the Blogger Feeds gadget. It requires less feeds knowledge, allows more customization and adds simple support for Labels. Setup the options and the gadget returns a vertical list of post links from any Blogger blog with feeds enabled. Filter results to a specific label or not, it's your choice.

10 Tips for the Aspiring Gadget Author

Blogger Gadgets are a great way to build customization into a website while extending the functionality provided by Blogger. Developing your own gadgets is a challenging task. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

1. Google Gadget Editor - Blogger gadgets are the same thing as Google gadgets and Google has made available an online editor with file hosting and publishing capabilities. Get it Here, then work on them from your iGoogle page.

2. Use a Test Blog - This is probably obvious for most, but you've got to setup a test blog to work on new Blogger gadgets. You do not want your site visitors dealing with bugs and errors while you work out the kinks. Even better, do most of your testing on iGoogle.