By itself, WordPress is a very powerful program for Web publishing, but by customizing WordPress with plugins — add-on programs that give WordPress almost limitless ways to handle Web content — you can make it even more powerful. You can choose any plugins you need to expand your online possibilities. Plugins can turn your WordPress installation into a full-featured gallery for posting images on the Web, an online store to sell your products, a user forum, or a social-networking site. WordPress plugins can be simple, adding (say) a few minor features to your blog, or they can be complex enough to change your entire WordPress site's functionality.
This chapter explores WordPress plugins, what they do, how you find them, and how you install them.