If you’re using a theme that doesn’t have a widgetized sidebar or if you’re thinking of adding more widget spots to your theme, I recommend reading this two part series by Sarah on BloggingTips.com which walks you through how to create a dynamic sidebar. This is great stuff as it enables you to take your theme to the next level. Add a few more widget spots or sidebars so you don’t have to be confined to one long sidebar. I’m a big fan of widget areas, the more the merrier.
If you perform this tutorial, make sure when you get to the part describing multiple sidebars, you give them common sense names.