Top Ten Blog Add-Ons: Add Bling to Your Online Journal

Blogs, otherwise known as online journals, share more than just text and expression to the world. Blogs also offer video, pictures, music, and even embed games. Sound and color add new dimensions to the usual text entries. Here you can find the top ten blog add ons you can personalize and add to your own journal.

Motivator, by Big Huge Labs, offers an easy click-and-build motivational poster you can add to your blog. Not only does this personalize an entry, but the motivator can provide some 'eye candy' to your audience. You haev to 'save picture as' once created. http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/motivator.php

Imagechef.com includes many graphics to which you add your own text. The saved results can then be added to blogs, online profiles, or even used as profile avatars with the buttons to publish the code to most well known blogs, as well as sending your results by email. http://www.imagechef.com/.

Atomsmasher provides a number of sign making generators. This includes church signs, restaurant , and computer error generator.Once created, you will then need to 'save image as' and manually insert into your blog. http://atom.smasher.org/.

Sign Generator has a bit of everything for everyone. The selection is huge, well within hundreds of graphics and animations you can personalize then share. They offer the HTML code to cut/paste or the option to save image to your hard drive. http://www.signgenerator.org/.

"LOL cats" is a new craze where pictures of cats doing funny things has added text. Two web sites offer a number of hilarious pictures to add to blogs and web sites to illustrate topics and subjects. All graphics need to be copied to your hard drive. They do provide a 'build graphic' option if you want to make your own picture with one of your own cat graphic. LOLcats.com provides HTML code you can add to Myspace.com or Facebook. http://icanhascheezburger.com/ and http://www.lolcats.com/.

Cute overload is just that. Overloaded with copious amounts of cute goodness. Here you will find not only picture but videos of animals either being adorable or doing something cute. Graphics need to be copied to your hard drive. They also offer email services. http://cuteoverload.com/.

Widgets are another feature you can add to blog entries that includes a number of services. Most of which are RSS feeds to blogs or article generating sites. This is a good way to promote your own writing by creating a widget. Other widgets include counters, music players, and little games. You can choose to either create your own widget, or link up to already designed widgets. HTML code is then provided to cut and past. Sites that provide this are http://www.widgetbox.com/ and http://www.springwidgets.com/.

The Generator Blogspot includes hundreds of different types of bling. Here, you can find avatar builders, text generators, and even games to add to your blog. To add to your blog entry requires cut and paste HTML to your blog entry. http://generatorblog.blogspot.com/

Pimp my profile adds a number of text generators and code to improve profiles on myspace.com, hi5.com and Friendster.com. There are a number of Flash toys you can add, if your blog is compatible. You can also find icons, slide shows, and layouts to choose from. Most of the services offer HTML cut and paste. http://www.pimp-my-profile.com/

Bigoo.ws offers a number of things you can add to blogs, including generators, games, and text. HTML cut and paste will embed the generators into your blog. http://www.bigoo.ws/.

While some might argue such features are frivolous and light-hearted, I find adding a touch of personalization offers readers a sense of friendliness. Too much eye candy, of course, should be discouraged. I would strongly suggest using only on occasion, or taking into account the subject matter of your blog entry before adding them.