I particularly like the social integration features, the options for placement of advertisements and the clean, modern appearance.

However, a recent update meant I was only able to display one widget in the sidebar and the others appeared centered at the bottom of the page.  I was so disappointed at the thought of having to change my blog theme again and couldn’t find another free theme which gave my blog a similar appearance and similar features to Evolve.

It now seems that the latest update (2.0.4) has fixed these issues and it probably fixed some others that I hadn’t noticed.  I’ll continue to use Evolve and hope that the next update doesn’t undo these fixes.

The first one I added was the Opt-in Form Generator.  I’ve wanted to add an opt-in form to my blog for some time but I was worried that it may involve complicated coding.   However, this plugin makes the process so easy and I was able to add an image too.  The plugin is also very customizable – you can change all colors and the size of the form.

After I installed the Opt-in Form plugin I noticed a Banner Ad plugin.  Like the Opt-in Form Generator, it gives you total control over the appearance of the end-product.  You can place your banners before a post, within a post, after a post or in the sidebar.  You can also use this plugin to show Adsense ads or almost any other type of ads.

I strongly recommend these free plugins and there is an affiliate program too where you can earn 55% commissions on an OTO.  Click here to go to the MaxBlogPress main page.