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The term plugin could be used for any number of applications, but when I refer to plugins on this site, I am specifically talking about plugins for Wordpress.

You could describe a plug-in, as being a piece of software that you simply “plug in” to your Wordpress web site.

The purpose of a plugin is to create an additional function or feature, that will enhance your sites usability or performance.

One of the reasons I love Wordpress so much, is because of the thousands of open source plugins, that are freely available to use and enjoy. (just like Wordpress itself)

It seems as though there is a plugin for nearly anything you can think of.

You can build a very powerful and user friendly site simply by using the free plugins available from the official Wordpress website http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

You can also find heaps of great free plugins all over the internet.

But in some cases you will need to pay for your plugins, which is fair enough, some times a plugin may take a considerable amount of time to test and develop and along with any upgrades and support the plugin requires, it can take up quite a bit of the developers time.

By selling their plugins, it allows the developers to continue keeping their plugins up to date and compliant with the latest versions of wordpress.

A good example of a paid for plugin that I use, is the action comments plugin available from www.actioncomments.com.

This is a great little plugin that can add your readers to your mailing list, simply by leaving a comment on your site.

Now If you can’t find a plugin that will suite your specific needs, don’t fret, you can always have someone create one for you.

You will find plenty of capable programers that will be more than happy to take on your project of building a plugin to meet a specific need.

To add additional plugins to your site you first need to download the plugin you want to your computers hard drive. I always recommend you have one folder for your new or current plugins.

After downloading the plugin to your hard drive, you will have to unzip the folder before you can upload it to your site.

To unzip your plugin you will need to use a program like Winzip, or Alzip.

After you’ve unzipped your plugin zip file, upload the plugin to your web server using an FTP program such as Filezilla.

Usually you would put the plugin in the plugins folder which is located within the wp-content folder.

Once the plugin has been uploaded you will need to activate the it within your Wordpress site admin area, look for the newly uploaded plugin under the plugins tab.

Depending on the plugin, you may also need to configure the plugin to meet your specific requirements. Usually the plugin will have a read-me file, these usually have detailed instructions on how to use and get the plugin working.

Another point that needs mentioning, is that not all plugins are compatible with each other, some plugins will conflict with either, other plugins or your theme.

If all this sounds a bit complicated, Don’t worry it’s not, although I do cover plugins in much more detail within my membership course, you can find a ton of information available from the official wordpress website.

If you still have some questions about what a plugin is please leave a comment and I will do my best in order to answer your questions.