WordPress

1)     The First one is Shadowbox-JS and can be downloaded at http://sivel.net/wordpress/shadowbox-js/sivel.net/. This plug-in allows the use of many different types of media such as images, videos, flash and even html to be brought up while darkening the background; making the media the primary focus on the screen without even loading a new webpage. It is a cool little effect that will give your blog some interactivity and save time without any extra loading.

2)     The second plug-in is the Akismet. Although this comes with WordPress by default, it is not active until you register it with a special API #, which you can get from WordPress by creating an account. This plug-in is very useful for getting rid of spam, especially if you have a blog that gets a lot of comments.

3)     Next, there is the Contact 7 Form plug-in, which can be found at http://ideasilo.wordpress.com/2007/04/30/contact-form-7/ideasilo.wordpress.com/. This plug-in will give you the chance to generate web based forms without the need of building it within the html. It allows you to place a contact form as a widget on the sidebar or within a page. To use this Contact Form, just apply a string of code that is generated after you set the fields you would like the form to have. This plug-in is easy to use and to implement.

4)     Another cool plug-in is Intense Debate, which can be downloaded at http://intensedebate.com/wordpress.  Intense Debate enhances the communication between you and the visitors on your blog.

5)     The last cool plug-in is TweetThis. The plug-in can be found at http://richardxthripp.thripp.com/tweet-this although this is call TweetThis it contains more than just twitter. This plug-in has Plurk, Yahoo Buzz, Delicious, Digg, Facebook, MySpace, Ping.fm, Reddit, and StumbleUpon. You can have people tweet, digg and add your blog to their favorite social media sites with a click of a button.

In conclusion, the Shadowbox-JS, Akismet, Contact 7 Form, Intense Debate, and TweetThis  plug-ins can bring a spark of life into your blog, by making it easier to use and cooler when it comes to sharing information.