Enrich Your Blog Posts with Zemanta

Zemanta has been around for some time now, but the tool has gotten better over the past few months. As browsers have evolved, so have the tools and relevancy of the related posts and image suggestions presented by the tool.

Main Features

Likely, you’ve already seen some of the features of the extension, but I want to illustrate them again, as it can really be useful when you need to add extra content to your posts.

1. Link, Embed, and Remix – Add images, links, related articles, and more to your content. This makes it easy, as you don’t have to browse the web for this – everything can be found within your sidebar area.
2. Drag and Drop – There is no need to add complex styling to your content. Everything can be dragged and dropped into place for convenient editing.
3. Copyright Protection – A large concern among bloggers is what sources they can use for images and what attribution is required, but this plugin only uses images that are free for all bloggers.

Additionally, there are some more benefits that come as you begin to use the plugin more and more.

1. Internal Linking – A challenge for many bloggers is including a good mix of links to their internal pages, but this plugin solves that problem by promoting some of your older posts.
2. Balloons – These balloons will pop-up, allowing your visitors to learn more about particular topics, keeping them on your site for a longer period of time.
3. Cross-Posting – The plugin encourages other bloggers to share your content, and as you create original content, your links will be posted as “related” articles on other sites.

Essentially, you are given several options, depending on your current setup. It is all about personal choice, as I have illustrated below. You can go to the website to check out these options.

Browsers

With the browser add-on, you can download and install Zemanta, then begin blogging and using the tool.

Firefox – Compatible with versions 2 and 3.

Internet Explorer – Compatible with versions 7 and 8.

Google Chrome – Bookmarklet: click and the sidebar will display. An extension is also available, although it is just “alpha” at this point.

Safari – Bookmarklet: click and the sidebar will display.

Other Browsers – A majority of users find the above browsers preferred, but you can also use the bookmarklet with other browsers.

Other Platforms

There is a plugin available for Windows Live Writer.

Server-Side Plugins

WordPress 2.x and Higher – A plugin is available from the WordPress Plugins Directory for these versions.

MovableType 4.x – From the MT Directory, the plugin can be installed.

Drupal 5 and 6x – Again, the plugin can be used with this popular CMS system.

Joomla – From Ninja Forge, you can download the plugin.

Conclusion

While the main point I wanted to get across is that the plugin is now more versatile than ever before. Now available as an extension for Google Chrome and all the other popular browsers, it offers seamless integration for all bloggers, no matter how small or large your blog is.

Check out the tool and let me know what you think, if you have had some experience using it.