Login to the admin interface (cpanel for those whose host is Kionic). Scroll down and select “Site Software”.
Select “WordPress” under the blog category.
Rename the folder “blog” instead of the default “WordPress”. (I do this simply because the word “blog” is more generic, and search engines read urls.
For those who don’t have 1-click install on the server admin interface supplied by their internet service provider (host), download the software here:
http://wordpress.org/
And follow the installation instructions in the documentation:
http://codex.wordpress.org/Main_Page
A WordPress Theme is a design template created by generous individuals who donate the designs they create.
There are hundreds of themes to choose from on the WordPress website:
http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/
Review them, and when you have selected one, download it. It is easy to change your theme selection, so don’t be afraid to try a few out.
Themes change the appearance and interface of your blog but they don’t affect the backend. If you follow the simple steps for changing a theme, it is difficult to screw-up how WordPress functions. If you find a theme doesn’t work for you and you would like to try another, simply download, install, and select a different theme.
Download your chosen theme into the blog/wpcontent/themes folder. Unzip and upload to your site. Once it is uploaded, change the theme in the Dashboard under “Change Theme” or choose “Appearance” in the main nav along the left column of your WordPress blog admin interface. This will take you to the “Manage Theme” page. Select the theme you’ve installed.
Click on “activate” in the top right hand corner of your selected theme.
To make custom design changes to the theme you’ve selected, use the “editor” in the “appearance” section (off the main navigation along the left column.) Be sure to first review the theme, looking for images and css font styles. Take it slowly, but don’t be afraid. The worst case scenario is you mess-up the original theme. To fix it, just save over theme with the original files, and your back to normal.
There are a number of concepts that you should focus on when considering how to best use a blog.
There are both “static” pages and “blogpost” pages.
The static pages, such as “About” or “Contact” are pages whose content doesn’t change very often, and when they are changed, the new content replaces the outdated content on your site.
Blogpost pages are your articles, thoughts, and writings that do not get updated. They are time/date stamped and represent the ideas at that time. They are often open for comments by your audience, although you can turn off this feature, or filter what comments you want to allow. If you find something that is incorrect in the original post, the common procedure is to add to the original post clarifying the correction, but at times, leaving the original misinformation there so viewer understand that the information wasn’t originally accurate. This, of course, is done at your own discretion.
Then there are “categories” and “tags”.
Categories can be thought of as a directory of information. They function much like a navigation system that organizes the topics of your writing for readers to easily follow.
Tags are like keywords. They highlight some of the main concepts that are covered in your blogpost.
There are some plugins I would recommend that you install to make your blog experience more fulfilling.
- Askimet is a plugin that acts as a spam filter. A definite must.
- WordPress Automatic Upgrade makes upgrading your blog to the latest version very easy.
- Google Analytics for WordPress will track and analyze traffic to your site.