Typepad 101: Adding Widgets

KC asked:

There's widget that does this? [Automatically opens links in new windows.] Oh, my do you know the name?

If you haven't yet explored Typepad's Widget Gallery, you're in for some fun. Typepad has made it easy to add all sorts of content and shortcuts with dozens of widgets. When you click on the one you want, you'll be walked through the easy steps for adding a widget to your blog.

What's a widget?

A widget is a little piece of content or a tool provided by a third party that you can place in the siderail of your TypePad blog.

(Dear Typepad, since when are we calling them "siderails"? What happened to "sidebar"?)

Now, the weird thing is that I've been hunting through the gallery today, and I can't for the life of me find the "open links in new window" widget. But I know I've installed it on my Typepad blogs. This is very odd. I wonder if they discontinued it. Am I just missing it?

Other widgets I like:

MyBlogLog (Lets you see what links your readers are clicking on in your posts. I've noticed that only around 10% of readers actually click through to most links!)

SiteMeter (If you haven't installed one already, the widget makes it easy. Come on, you know you love to watch your traffic!)

Technorati (Links your blog to your Technorati profile. Technorati is a popular blog search engine. More about it in a future post. The widget also includes the option of a "search this blog" feature for your sidebar.)

Here's one I hadn't seen before: Evoca Browser Mic. This widget:

lets you capture you blog-reader’s voices in audio format. This simple widget allows anyone with a computer mic to leave you a voice recording which you then can decide to post to your blog to share with your readers.

How fun is that? I just might have to try this out.

When I figure out where the "open links in new window" widget is hiding, I'll let you know!