The blog has certainly come a long way. A few years ago, an active, popular blog would contain some great writing along with a few interesting pictures and graphics. Today, that just doesn't cut it anymore! Thanks to a number of new innovations, bloggers can now post a number of interesting gadgets, ranging from widgets to audio files. One of the most exciting things you can post is music videos!

Eye Candy

Music videos are a great addition to any blog - after all, everyone likes to hear a great tune! In order to host a video clip, you will need to add plugins to your blog. Some plugins are designed to work with self-hosted files while others are compatible with off-site hosted ones. Some can be used with both kinds of files. The majority of these plugins are free to use - so which one is the best? That greatly depends on what kind of end result you want. The truth is that these plugins can be as complicated or as simple as you want them to be.

It's important to note that plugins are among the most dynamic tools on the internet today - this means that what was here yesterday could well be outdated in a few weeks! Always remember to test out your plugins first to make sure you find the one that suits you best. It's also a good idea to keep back-ups of all your music video files - in case something does happen to the plugin, at least you won't lose your video.

Get Started!

The process of adding music videos to your sidebar or anywhere on your blog is pretty simple, especially with regard to YouTube videos. Let's say that you've watched a clip that you really like and would like to feature it on your blog. On the right-hand side of the video, you'll notice a space that says Embed and some URL code underneath it - you will need to copy this. If you can't find this, it means that the person who has posted the clip does not want to share this video outside of YouTube. A number of plugins, like Vipers Video Quicktags will allow you to embed videos from other sites as well like Google, Metacafe, MySpace and IFILM.

While putting music videos on your blog is definitely something to try, be careful about how you do it. For instance, don't spam your blog with too many clips - while readers certainly don't mind clicking a clip or two, seeing nothing but an endless line of clips can put people off. Remember that these clips do take up bandwidth so people with slow connections will have a problem with slow page loading. Do not put your clips on auto-start - if people are viewing your blog at work, the last thing they want is a music video to suddenly start playing! Be sensible but have fun, as well. Choose only the best clips and always keep an eye open for better plugins for your site. Adding music videos can definitely be a plus for any active blog!