Who doesn't love a (good) product or service that's also free?
When it comes to blogging, there are a lot of so-called freebies (widgets,software, gadgets...) out there that turn out to be nothing more than a bunch of trouble. Spam, spam go away....network and operating issues, pop-ups and bugs galore! Been there, done that, no thanks! For me, it has made me wary of trying new things online. Who needs a lot of unnecessary hassle, wasted time and effort too???
A recent exception was giving LinkWithin a try after seeing it on several blogs that I visit on a regular basis. I'm happy to report that not only does it work perfectly, it doesn't bring with it any of the undesirables that I've mentioned above. A simple application that works and installs almost instantly. Simple and yet very effective.
In case you are not familiar with this free service, here's some information from the LinkWithin website:
Show Related Stories Under Each Post!
LinkWithin is a blog widget that appears under each post, linking to related stories from your blog archive.Don't Let Your Past Stories Go to Waste!
We retrieve and index all stories from your blog archive, not just recent stories, making them accessible to new or casual readers of your blog who would not otherwise encounter them.Increase Pageviews, Keep Readers Engaged
The widget links to stories that are relevant and interesting to readers of a particular post, keeping them engaged with your blog, and increasing your traffic.Elegant, Unobtrusive Design
Our widget is minimally styled and blends in with your site design.Free and Easy to Install
If you look at the bottom of this post, you can try an example of LinkWithin in action!
I've found some wonderful posts at other blogs that I would never have read, had it not been for LinkWithin. And I note that every day, more and more visitors to my Blogger blogs are also taking advantage of LinkWithin when they stop by to visit my blogs. I spend a lot of time writing posts, I want as much exposure as I can get from every one of them. With LinkWithin, it really helps to high-light some of my earlier posts, in an attractive format.
Check out their website for more about this wonderful free service. And don't worry, you won't be bombarded with lots of blinkies and pop-ups over there, just the real deal! In simple, non-techie language too.
Overall rating for this service: Excellent. 5 out of 5.
